Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.7 health tracking features and more to look for in a smartwatch: 10 picks to keep a check on your wellnessCheck out the top 10 smartwatches for tracking your health
Amazon sends joining kit to father whose sacrifices helped son land tech jobAmazon sent a special joining kit to the father of software engineer Shailendra Yadav, who was emotional upon receiving his son's offer letter. Updated on: May 28, 2026 1:52 PM IST By Sanya Jain Share via Copy link Amazon
Indian businessman with $2.8 billion net worth shares powerful business lessonHarsh Goenka’s latest X post breaks down how businesses evolve from small, execution-led setups to large organisations driven by systems and culture. Published on: May 28
‘Words reflect strength’: Indian High Commission welcomes Australian PM's remarks on IndiaPrime Minister Anthony Albanese in his remarks had said how India is one of the largest growing economies. Updated on: May 28, 2026 1:47 PM IST ANI Share via Copy link The Indian High Commission in
60-year-old woman shares going to the gym for 1 year helped her lose 18 kg and improve sugar, BP and thyroid healthIt is never too late to prioritise fitness. A 60-year-old woman recently shared how going to the gym for a year transformed her health and confidence. Published on: May 28
‘Tool to monitor Indians’: Opposition, experts on order mandating use of state-owned web safety app
Opposition leaders and technology policy experts on Tuesday expressed concern that the Union government's directive to smartphone manufacturers to mandatorily preload all new devices with a government cyber security app amounted to expanded surveillance without adequate safeguards.
The order was passed by the Department of Telecommunications on Friday.
It directed manufacturers to preload the Sanchar Saathi app in new phones and to add the application to devices that have already been sold through a software update. Users will not be able to disable the app, according to the Ministry of Communications.
However, amid the pushback, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told ANI on Tuesday that users will be able to delete the app.
The electronics manufacturers were asked to comply with the order within three months.
The Congress said that the directive by the telecom department was “beyond unconstitutional” and demanded that it should be rolled back immediately.
Party leader KC Venugopal said that “Big Brother cannot watch us”, adding that the right to privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty.
“A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian,” Venugopal said on social media. “It is a means to watch over every movement, interaction and decision of each citizen.”
The Congress MP said that the directive was part of a series of “relentless assaults” on constitutional rights.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said that Sanchar Saathi was a “snooping app”.
“Everyone must have the right to privacy to send messages to family and friends without the government looking at everything,” Vadra told reporters. “They're turning this country into a dictatorship in every form.”
She added: “There's a very fine line between reporting fraud and seeing what every citizen of India is doing on their phone. That's not how it should work.”
Vadra said that while there is a need for strengthened cybersecurity, it does not give the government an excuse to “go into every citizen's telephone”.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas told ANI that the directive was a “blatant invasion” into privacy.
The matter was also raised in Parliament on Tuesday.
During a discussion on a separate matter in Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury said that there are "many ways in which the Modi government disrupts democracy" and the Sanchar Saathi app is "yet another instrument that diminishes the rights of citizens, just like the SIR [special intensive revision of electoral rolls]".
Scindia told reporters outside Parliament that the app enables users to ensure their safety.
When the Opposition has no issues, and they are trying to find some, we cannot help them," he said. "Our duty is to help the consumers and ensure their safety.
The Internet Freedom Foundation, a digital rights organisation, on Tuesday said that the directive was a “deeply worrying expansion” of executive control over personal digital devices.
The means chosen to curb International Mobile Equipment Identity fraud are disproportionate, legally fragile and structurally hostile to user privacy and autonomy, it said.
The requirement for the functionalities of the app not being disabled converts every smartphone “into a vessel for state-mandated software that the user cannot meaningfully refuse, control or remove”.
The foundation said that for the app to work, it would “almost certainly need system level or root level access” to the device.
“That design choice erodes the protections that normally prevent one app from peering into the data of others, and turns Sanchar Saathi into a permanent, non-consensual point of access sitting inside the operating system of every Indian smartphone user,” it added.
The organisation argued that the mandatory installation of the app does not pass the proportionality test laid down by the 2017 KS Puttaswamy judgement, which established the right to privacy as a fundamental right. The test requires that any intrusion into the right to privacy must meet the standards of legality, necessity and proportionality.
It also said that the directive was so vague that it while today the app is framed as a benign IMEI checker, “through a server side update, it could be repurposed for client side scanning for ‘banned' applications, flag VPN usage, correlate SIM activity, or trawl SMS logs in the name of fraud detection”.
The foundation said that the Union government was asking all smartphone users to accept an “open ended, updatable surveillance capability” on their personal devices “without the basic guardrails that a constitutional democracy should insist on as a matter of course”.
Technology policy expert Pranesh Prakash questioned the necessity of mandating the Sanchar Saathi app when the government already Central Equipment Identity Register to centrally blacklist IMEI numbers.
“All telecom networks in India have EIRs [equipment identity registers] to check and block spoofed/null IMEIs and reported IMEIs (of stolen phones) with the Indian govt running a CEIR [Central Equipment Identity Register],” he said. “I still haven't heard a good argument as to why having this app pre-installed at a device level is helpful.”
Source: Scroll
Related Posts: Factbox-Groups that have bid for TikTok or expressed interest King expressed Sanchar Saathi app downloads jump 10 times on Tuesday Dhurandhar Makers Roll Out Blockbuster Tuesday Offer Noida protests continues on Tuesday Board of Trade to meet on Tuesday to discuss ways to boost exports Vikran Engineering IPO to open on Tuesday Mamata Banerjee to protest against SIR on Tuesday Bengaluru Tuesday Traffic Has People Frustrated Two medals to be decided as ISSF Junior World Cup commences Tuesday
The Indian men's football team lost 0-2 to Jamaica in the semifinals of the Unity Cup in London, making a disappointing debut appearance in the four-nation tournament. The short competition, which features two semifinals, a third-place play-off and the final
52 minutes ago
This year marks 10 years since spinner Sophie Ecclestone's England debut, and yet she is only 27. She was the teenage sensation who quickly became the first name on the teamsheet, and in 2024 she overtook legendary fast bowler Katherine Sciver-Brunt to become England's leading T20 wicket-taker
51 minutes ago
When doctors express scepticism about whole-body scanning, a predictable counter-argument surfaces on social media within hours. Physicians, the theory goes, have a vested interest in keeping you undiagnosed. Healthy patients don’t fill hospital beds
52 minutes ago
, the chief executive of , has emerged as one of the most influential Indian-origin leaders in global technology today. As a teenager, the Kanpur native was denied a US student visa three times. As CEO, he has overseen rapid growth at the chipmaker
51 minutes ago
550 police personnel deployed, social media monitored to ensure peaceful Bakrid celebrations in MumbaiOfficials said the deployment is aimed at maintaining communal harmony and ensuring that the festival passes off peacefully across the region. Updated on: May 28
51 minutes ago
Selfie Maine Leli Aaj’s Dhinchak Pooja gets married, hides husband’s face; fans demand wedding songDhinchak Pooja, famous for her viral hit 'Selfie Maine Leli Aaj,' recently announced her marriage, sharing a video montage of the ceremony. May 28, 2026
52 minutes ago
After multiple students complained about the new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which was introduced by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for evaluating Class 12 answer papers this year, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan stated that he had asked the CBSE for a detailed
52 minutes ago
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange announced an indefinite hunger strike starting May 30, vowing to protest directly under the summer sun without shelter. He warned the Maharashtra government would be responsible for any health complications
51 minutes ago
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 27, 2026) agreed to examine if the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) three-language rule, set to be effective from July 1 for Class 9 students, has placed unreasonable pressure on resources and children.The Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 27
52 minutes ago
A: Yes, and the reason is not just psychological. Researchers know of at least three reasons. First, the human body adjusts surprisingly quickly to temperature. However, this also means that after even one or two cooler days, you may lose a bit of heat adaptation as your blood vessels are less
52 minutes ago
When Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish first met Oliver Glasner in late 2023, he had no idea it would be a meeting that would change the course of the club's history. It was then sporting director, Dougie Freedman, who had set up the get-together in south London
51 minutes ago
The Sports Ministry will deploy IT Consultants to National Sports Federations. This initiative aims to enhance digital systems for better coordination. The plan supports India's preparation for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad. It also aligns with long-term Olympic ambitions
51 minutes ago
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday quashed the anticipatory bail granted to retired judge Giribala Singh in a case pertaining to the death of her daughter-in-law, who was allegedly harassed for dowry, Bar and Bench reported. Twisha Sharma, a 33-year-old model-turned-actor from Noida
51 minutes ago
The US military has carried out strikes on Iran, targeting a military site in Bandar Abbas, a strategic port city. In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted a US air base, without providing details of its location
52 minutes ago
Reading Goa: of strong emotions and romantic memoriesGoa became the 25th state of the Indian republic on May 30, 1987. On its 39th anniversary, a look at a few books that capture the contemporary ethos of the place Published on: May 28, 2026 2:05 PM IST By Saurabh Sharma Share via Copy link While
51 minutes ago
TMC's Kakoli Dastidar alleges ‘verbal abuse, misogyny’ by Kalyan Banerjee in letter to Lok Sabha SpeakerThe letter comes a day after Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigned from all organisational posts in the Trinamool Congress. Updated on: May 28, 2026 12:10 PM IST By HT News Desk Share via Copy link
2 hours ago
Rakhi Sawant defends Ranveer Singh amid FWICE row over Don 3 dispute: ‘Salman Khan ko ban karke dikhaye’During her recent outing in Mumbai, Rakhi Sawant was seen sharing her thoughts about Ranveer Singh and Don 3 dispute while interacting with the paparazzi. May 28, 2026
2 hours ago
Man who spent 2 decades in Saudi jail, faced death sentence returns to KeralaMan who spent 2 decades in Saudi jail, faced death sentence returns to Kerala Published on: May 28, 2026 12:02 PM IST PTI Share via Copy link Kozhikode, Abdul Rahim
2 hours ago
India U-18 hockey teams eye positive start in Asia CupIndia U-18 hockey teams eye positive start in Asia Cup Published on: May 28, 2026 12:06 PM IST PTI Share via Copy link Kakamigahara , Guided by senior stalwarts like Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal
2 hours ago
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra lauded 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi's powerful IPL innings. He called Suryavanshi a special player but cautioned against fast-tracking him to the Indian team. Chopra believes there is ample time for the young talent's national debut
2 hours ago
The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for large parts of southern Lebanon, declaring the areas "combat zones" ahead of fresh strikes against Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged residents to move north of the Zahrani River, about 40km (25 miles) from the border
2 hours ago
BJP announces state president for 3 states; Harsh Malhotra appointed Delhi party chiefWith the appointments, party chief Nitin Nabin has set in motion the process of selecting a new team of office bearers in states as well as the national level Published on: May 28
2 hours ago
'Bachpan ka sapna tha': Man fulfils dream of eating full family pack ice cream aloneWhat once felt like a rare treat is now a personal celebration as a man enjoys a family pack of ice cream after starting to earn. Updated on: May 28, 2026 11:27 AM IST By Vaishali Kapila Share via Copy link For many
2 hours ago
Twisha Sharma's mother-in-law Giribala Singh seen feeding stray dog after quashed anticipatory bailThe order to squash Giribala Singh's anticipatory bail came from the Jabalpur High Court on Wednesday (May 27) Published on: May 28, 2026 12:02 PM IST By Stuti Gupta Share via Copy link In the eye of
2 hours ago
How an Indian man earned ₹1,200 in 10 minutes in London before getting caughtA 25-year-old Indian man has revealed how he managed to earn 10 pounds in London in just 10 minutes Published on: May 28, 2026 11:39 AM IST By Sanya Jain Share via Copy link A 25-year-old Indian man has revealed how he
2 hours ago
Want to live longer? Neurologist explains the ‘9-year longevity equation’ for healthy ageingCan three simple daily habits help you live longer? A neurologist shares the 9-year longevity equation focused on sleep, movement and balanced eating. Published on: May 28
2 hours ago
The Pentagon on Wednesday announced a five-year, $9.69 billion agreement to consolidate Microsoft and other enterprise software licenses scattered across the military services, the intelligence community, and the U.S. Coast Guard into a single contract vehicle, officials said
2 hours ago
