'No security testing or crackdown': Rajeev Chandrasekhar denies mandatory screening of OS updates

Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday denied a report that stated that India may ask smartphone makers to allow removal of pre-installed apps and mandate screening of major operating system updates under proposed new security rules. 

"This story is plain wrong - there is no 'security testing' or 'crackdown' as story suggests," he tweeted. 

Denying the claims, Chandrasekhar said, "Story is based on lack of understanding perhaps n unfettered creative imagination that is based an ongoing consultation process btwn Ministry n Industry on mobile security guidelines of BIS Standard IS17737 (Part-3) 2021."

"@GoI_MeitY is 100% committed to Ease of doing Business n is totally focussed on growing Electronics Mfg to touch USD 300Bln by 2026," his tweet read.

India plans to force smartphone makers to allow removal of pre-installed apps and mandate screening of major operating system updates under proposed new security rules, said an agency report. 

It added that the government is also considering mandating screening of every major operating system update before it is rolled out to consumers. 

Under the new rules, smartphone makers will have to provide an uninstall option and new models will be checked for compliance by a lab authorized by the Bureau of Indian Standards agency, the report mentioned.

The report had also mentioned that India's IT ministry is considering these rules amid concerns about spying and abuse of user data. It added further that pre-installed apps can be a weak security point and the aim is to ensure that no foreign nations, including China, are exploiting it, as per an official.

Currently, most smartphones come with pre-installed apps that cannot be deleted, such as Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi's app store GetApps, Samsung's payment app Samsung Pay mini and iPhone maker Apple's browser Safari.

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