The Indian government is significantly extending the reach of its anti-theft and cybersecurity initiative, known as Sanchar Saathi, to encompass both new and pre-owned smartphones. This comprehensive effort is ostensibly aimed at curtailing device theft and various forms of online fraud, yet the expansion is simultaneously provoking renewed concerns regarding user privacy and state surveillance. The telecom ministry is now mandating that all companies engaged in the purchase or trade of used mobile phones must verify every single device against a central database of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers. This requirement complements an earlier directive that compelled smartphone manufacturers to preinstall the government’s Sanchar Saathi application on all newly sold handsets, alongside pushing the application onto existing devices through mandatory software updates. The news of this regulatory expansion was initially reported by Reuters and subsequently confirmed by a public statement issued by the ministry.
The Sanchar Saathi portal, originally launched in 2023, empowers users to report and facilitate the tracing or blocking of lost and stolen phones. Official government data indicates that the system has proven highly effective, resulting in the blocking of over 4.2 million devices and aiding in the tracing of more than 2.6 million others. Earlier this year, the system was further enhanced with the release of a dedicated Sanchar Saathi application in January. According to the government, the application has contributed to the recovery of over 700,000 phones, with approximately 50,000 recoveries recorded in October alone. This utility has driven rapid public adoption; the application has been downloaded nearly 15 million times, and marketing intelligence firm Sensor Tower reported that it registered more than three million monthly active users in November, representing a surge of over 600% since its launch month. Furthermore, data shared by Sensor Tower with TechCrunch showed a substantial increase in engagement with the service, with monthly unique visitors to the Sanchar Saathi web portal rising by more than 49% year-over-year.
Despite the stated benefits in combating cybercrime—such as IMEI duplication, device cloning, and identity theft—the government’s directive to preinstall the application has drawn considerable criticism from privacy advocates, civil society organisations, and opposition political parties. Critics argue that the move significantly increases the state’s visibility and potential control over personal devices without providing commensurate safeguards, thereby undermining digital rights. In response to the controversy, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia asserted that Sanchar Saathi represents a “completely voluntary and democratic system” and that users retain the right to delete the application if they choose not to use it. However, the directive reviewed by TechCrunch and circulated publicly explicitly instructs manufacturers to ensure the preinstalled app is “readily visible and accessible to end users at the time of first use or device setup” and that “its functionalities are not disabled or restricted,” which casts doubt on the practical optionality of the application. Deputy Telecom Minister Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar noted that while most major manufacturers participated in the government’s working group on the initiative, Apple was a notable exception that did not take part.
Beyond the preinstallation mandate, the telecom ministry is also piloting an Application Program Interface (API) that would permit formal recommerce and trade-in platforms to directly upload customer identity and device details to the government system. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that this development signifies a major step toward creating a centralised, nationwide register of active and circulating smartphones. This move arrives as India’s used-smartphone market rapidly expands, having become the world’s third-largest segment for second-hand devices in 2024, driven by rising new device prices and longer replacement cycles. However, as much as 85% of this market remains informal, meaning the government’s new verification mandates only cover formal trade-in and recommerce platforms, leaving the vast majority of transactions outside the current regulatory scope.
Privacy advocates, including Prateek Waghre, the head of programmes and partnerships at the Toronto-based nonprofit policy lab Tech Global Institute, have voiced serious apprehension. Waghre argued that this growing flow of data could grant authorities “unprecedented visibility into device ownership,” expressing concern over the potential for every device to be “databased” and the unknown long-term uses or misuses of such an extensive central registry. The Indian government has yet to publish detailed protocols outlining how the collected data will be securely stored, which entities will have access, or what specific legal safeguards will apply to the expanding system. Digital rights groups argue that given the immense scale of India’s smartphone user base, estimated at around 700 million devices, even minor administrative changes can have outsized implications, potentially setting global surveillance precedents. Analysts like Meghna Bal, a director at the New Delhi-based technology think tank Esya Centre, cautioned that while the stated intent is protection, mandating a single government-controlled application risks stifling innovation and competition from private sector technology firms. Bal stressed that any such system must be underpinned by independent audits, robust data governance safeguards, and transparent accountability measures to protect user privacy and ensure fair market opportunity.