India Drops Plan To Pre-Install Aadhaar App On Smartphones
India has decided not to proceed with a proposal that would have required smartphone makers like Apple, Samsung, and Google to pre-install the government’s Aadhaar biometric identity app on new devices. The move comes after strong opposition from the technology industry, which raised concerns over security risks, device compatibility, and increased manufacturing costs.
The proposal, initiated by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), had sought mandatory preloading of the Aadhaar app on smartphones. However, the IT ministry, after consulting industry stakeholders, concluded it was not in favour of enforcing such a requirement. Officials indicated that app pre-installation would only be considered for highly essential services going forward.
Aadhaar, which links a 12-digit identity number to biometric data of over a billion residents, is widely used across banking, telecom, and government services. Despite its utility, the system has faced ongoing criticism from privacy advocates over data security concerns and past leaks. The decision is being viewed as a regulatory setback for repeated government attempts to mandate pre-installed state apps on smartphones.
Pic courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright
