THE government’s order mandating mobile handset makers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi application on all handsets manufactured or imported for use in the country is not only bad governance but also bad economics. Ostensibly, the app is said to be part of the strategy to “strengthen cyber security and anti-spam measures.” But a diktat to manufacturers to pre-install this government-backed app raises serious apprehensions of surveillance and intrusion. The government’s directives also lay down that users should not be able to delete the app, effectively making it a permanent feature in all mobile phones. Following an uproar, Union........

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