India Abandons Plan for Mandatory Aadhaar App on Smartphones
India drops proposal to make smartphone brands pre-install unique ID app Aadhaar on their devices
Gsm Arena
Image: Gsm Arena
The Indian government has decided not to mandate smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Aadhaar app, which contains sensitive personal information, due to security and cost concerns raised by the industry. This marks the sixth attempt in two years to require pre-installation of government apps on devices.
- 01The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) proposed mandatory pre-installation of the Aadhaar app on smartphones.
- 02The Indian government dropped the proposal after smartphone makers raised security and cost concerns.
- 03The Aadhaar app contains sensitive personal data, including a unique identification number and biometric information.
- 04This was the sixth attempt by the government to mandate pre-installed apps on smartphones in two years.
- 05Previous attempts faced backlash, leading to quick rollbacks of similar orders.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
The Indian government has abandoned its proposal to require smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Aadhaar app, which is managed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). This decision follows security and cost concerns voiced by smartphone brands. The Aadhaar app holds sensitive information, including a 12-digit unique identification number, birth date, residential address, and biometric data such as fingerprints and iris scans. UIDAI has issued over 1.44 billion Aadhaar numbers for Indian residents, and the app is crucial for verification in banking and telecom services. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) consulted with industry stakeholders before concluding that mandating the app's pre-installation was not advisable. This proposal was the sixth such attempt by the Indian government in two years, reflecting ongoing tensions between regulatory aims and industry pushback regarding security and production costs.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
This decision alleviates concerns about data security for smartphone users and prevents potential increases in device costs.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
Reader Poll
Should the government require pre-installation of security apps on smartphones?
Connecting to poll...
More about Unique Identification Authority of India
Read the original article
Visit the source for the complete story.