In the world’s second-largest smartphone market — with nearly 750 million devices in use — the Indian government has proposed a sweeping set of security standards aimed at combating rising online fraud and data breaches. The measures, part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s broader digital security initiative, would require manufacturers including Apple and Samsung to share source code for review, maintain detailed device logs for a year, and implement other strict software controls.
While the IT ministry insists the goal is purely to enhance user data security and has promised to address industry concerns “with an open mind,” the proposals have triggered sharp backlash.
Reuters:
Companies including Apple and Samsung have privately protested the proposed package of security standards, which also includes a requirement to maintain phone logs on devices for a year, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a review of confidential government and industry documents.
The Internet Freedom Foundation, a privacy and free speech rights organization, said it “strongly rejects any proposed regime that effectively grants the state access to confidential source code and embeds persistent controls into devices used daily by hundreds of millions of Indians.”
The ministry called off a meeting scheduled for Tuesday with the tech giants to discuss their feedback and concerns about the proposal, according to three people with direct knowledge.
Seeking source code – the underlying programming instructions that make phones work – erodes trust and “is a massive step backwards from India’s goal of improving the ease of doing business,” said Akash Karmakar, a partner at Indian law firm Panag & Babu who specialises in technology law.
Last month, India revoked an order mandating a state-run cybersecurity app on phones following opposition from opposition parties and privacy advocacy groups.
MacDailyNews Take: Not gonna happen.
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Is Indian learns from China?.
Now that India has the capability to build the hardware, all they need is the software to build their own counterfeit models.
FTS!
They are bat $hit crazy