Hannah Ellis-Petersen, writing for The Guardian:

India’s government has backtracked on an order for all smartphones to be pre-installed with a state-owned security app after a mass outcry over privacy concerns and refusal by technology companies to comply.

The department of telecommunications confirmed it had revoked its previous order for all technology companies to mandatorily install the government’s Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on to every smartphone in India within 90 days.

Political outcry erupted over the order and several tech companies, including Apple and Google, made it clear they would not comply due to privacy concerns. In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the government confirmed it had “decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers”.

It emphasised that the app, which allows users to block and track lost or stolen mobile phones and report fraudulent calls, was “secure and purely meant to help citizens” against “bad actors”.

The initial order, given quietly to tech companies last week, landed the government in hot water after internet privacy groups and the political opposition raised concerns that the app could be used as a mass surveillance tool.

Apple and Google anonymously briefed the media that tech companies would be pushing back against the order as the move raised privacy concerns for their operating systems and violated internal policies.

I was quite relieved to see both Apple and Google come out of the gate so strongly in their outright refusal to comply with this order. It gave opposing MPs in the Indian parliament plenty of ammunition to push back on what is clearly a blatant invasion of privacy. The most laughable part of the whole ordeal is to think that anyone would believe the intention behind the app was anything but mass surveillance.