Sanchar Saathi - a safety app or a surveillance trap ?

[pawanjain]

By now you would have already heard in news that the Indian government has set a mandate to mobile phone companies to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on new mobile phones.
The government claims that it will be a safety app and will help users in tracking, blocking and finding lost and stolen phones.
The app has already been launched in playstore in January and has helped recover more than 7 lakh phones till date.
It will be pre-installed on new phones going forward and installed on existing phones via new software updates.

On the hindsight, users will not be able to disable the app and besides that the app will have permission to camera, mic, location etc... by default and there won't be anything we can do about it.
So is it really a safety app or is the government doing so for surveillance ? Leading brands like Apple and Samsung are pushing back due to privacy, compliance and security reasons though.

Source: India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

Update:
On the latest update today, the government has removed the mandate seeing a drastic surge in app downloads citing the acceptance of the app already.
But do you really think they will keep it this way or might soon bring in the mandate again and force the users to install this app.

Source: Government withdraws mandatory Sanchar Saathi pre-installation on phones after backlash

[LucyFurr]

I think our government is trying to replicate what China has been doing for decades with their people. But our government is capable of tracking 1.4 billion people?

The officers are not even checking the documents properly but now they are dreaming to keep everyone under the surveillance, I doubt it is not possible without the help from private tech companies that will again steal all the data and use them to make money.

[JSRAW]

Apne desi logo ki technique hi kharab hai puri lol.

Not ruthless enough to do implementation like China and not sophisticate like usa where system does everything like tracking, brainwashing, propaganda etc

Bas 2-3 news article aur 4-5 lol nikal jaye India gate par fascism aur savidhan khatre mein hai wala placard, ish gov ki fatt ke hath mein aa jati hai.

[Cointikka]

Apne desi logo ki technique hi kharab hai puri lol.

Not ruthless enough to do implementation like China and not sophisticate like usa where system does everything like tracking, brainwashing, propaganda etc

Bas 2-3 news article aur 4-5 lol nikal jaye India gate par fascism aur savidhan khatre mein hai wala placard, ish gov ki fatt ke hath mein aa jati hai.

Kya fark padta hai bahi. Jo government ko karwana hai woh seedhi ya tedhi ungli se karwa hi legi. Aaj nahi to kal ye app aap or mein shayad use karen. This government has its own ways to implement its laws. They ignored Bitcoin and crypto earlier, now they are tracking every transaction that we do through their laws to govern exchanges operating in India.

[henmark]

So is it really a safety app or is the government doing so for surveillance ?

It can be both. The finding lost phones functionality is useful to anyone practically. The background processing with surveillance must be a real concern for anyone, moreover this surveillance cannot be removed and it may access our mic and other privacy related tools.

Fortunately most smart phone manufacturers opposed it and it seemed like they were with people but probably they are trying to safeguard themselves and their business first. Now, this app is no more compulsory one still I like to speculate this kind of surveillance within our phone may hit back us at any time soon but with different name or completely in different form, who know?

[Bitcoin Smith]

First we need a proper surveillance system to fine the traffic violators, we are still dependent on the manual checking while most of the countries implemented automated tracking and penalty tools that just sends the fine amount directly to the violators and if they fail their vehicles will be seized but only in our country even if we got traffic fines we can just use it without a problem until they wanted to meet their monthly target and started being aggressive with their search.

[JSRAW]

First we need a proper surveillance system to fine the traffic violators, we are still dependent on the manual checking while most of the countries implemented automated tracking and penalty tools that just sends the fine amount directly to the violators and if they fail their vehicles will be seized but only in our country even if we got traffic fines we can just use it without a problem until they wanted to meet their monthly target and started being aggressive with their search.

Inn logo se traffic guidelines toh update nhi ho rahi, abhi bhi har intiative mein inki gadi sirf helmet aur seat belt par atki huyi hai. Lane driving awareness tak bhi nhi pahuche hai yeh sab.

Toh kahan hi umeed laga ke baithe ho ki full proof planning hogi against violaters, having said that interstate travel mein accountability bad gayi hai due to automation but intrastate system ka wahi purana haal hai.

Apne desi logo ki technique hi kharab hai puri lol.

Not ruthless enough to do implementation like China and not sophisticate like usa where system does everything like tracking, brainwashing, propaganda etc

Bas 2-3 news article aur 4-5 lol nikal jaye India gate par fascism aur savidhan khatre mein hai wala placard, ish gov ki fatt ke hath mein aa jati hai.

Kya fark padta hai bahi. Jo government ko karwana hai woh seedhi ya tedhi ungli se karwa hi legi. Aaj nahi to kal ye app aap or mein shayad use karen. This government has its own ways to implement its laws. They ignored Bitcoin and crypto earlier, now they are tracking every transaction that we do through their laws to govern exchanges operating in India.

If every transaction by you mean recent strike on undisclosed assets in foreign or big transaction then yeh toh sahi kaam rahi hai gov.

Majority are top 1% which includes corrupt babus, politicians etc. bahut se log with illegal money doing this gapla with golden visa thingy.

[Bitcoin Smith]

~
Inn logo se traffic guidelines toh update nhi ho rahi, abhi bhi har intiative mein inki gadi sirf helmet aur seat belt par atki huyi hai. Lane driving awareness tak bhi nhi pahuche hai yeh sab.

Toh kahan hi umeed laga ke baithe ho ki full proof planning hogi against violaters, having said that interstate travel mein accountability bad gayi hai due to automation but intrastate system ka wahi purana haal hai.

What I have noticed is when someone uses complete safety gears while driving their bike like people used to do in western countries the police get into an assumption like they are the traffic violators and stop them immediately while letting the people pass away with no problem even if they are not having any papers, no helmets, more than 2 person. So being proper itself get us into trouble whether it's inside the city traffic or on the national highways. These mindsets should change first though.

[pawanjain]

First we need a proper surveillance system to fine the traffic violators, we are still dependent on the manual checking while most of the countries implemented automated tracking and penalty tools that just sends the fine amount directly to the violators and if they fail their vehicles will be seized but only in our country even if we got traffic fines we can just use it without a problem until they wanted to meet their monthly target and started being aggressive with their search.

Lol, meeting the monthly targets is so true. Out of a sudden these cops will block every other street and look for victims they can prey on and get their quota filled.
Coming to the traffic violations, some people let the traffic violation fines keep on piling up until it goes to the court where they do a settlement for a bare minimum amount for a rebate.
So yeah, we can't expect that things will change in terms of traffic violations any time soon.
Only if there is a purely automated system that fines every individual for their violations, may be then we can see these people follow the traffic rules.

[Bitcoin Smith]

~
Coming to the traffic violations, some people let the traffic violation fines keep on piling up until it goes to the court where they do a settlement for a bare minimum amount for a rebate.
So yeah, we can't expect that things will change in terms of traffic violations any time soon.
Only if there is a purely automated system that fines every individual for their violations, may be then we can see these people follow the traffic rules.

The only reason why government can't impose heavy rules is that we don't have the perfect roads like in other countries so they are meeting in the middle and make money in the possible ways.

I have no hope on any changes in the model we have, maybe we will have more awareness about the safety gears on bike and using seat belts while travelling but other than that lane discipline and stuffs we see on other countries is not anywhere near in the possibility of happening.

[TSen]

I have no hope on any changes in the model we have, maybe we will have more awareness about the safety gears on bike and using seat belts while travelling but other than that lane discipline and stuffs we see on other countries is not anywhere near in the possibility of happening.

You can expect changes in any model or system in India only when government start valuing life of individuals, until then we cannot expect enough awareness initiatives from government. This is also deepening on ourselves as well, like due to illiteracy, there are people around us who not even caring their life or family then how we could expect the government to work on this. As of now, government is focusing only on economic growth of country and it future may realize without people, there cannot be any sustaining economy for the country.

About Sanchar Saathi app, government may try have a virtual control on us but in some point of view, that would be good and needed. In terms of privacy, I would hate it to have but as of now, it is not mandatory. So, no worries for now.