India’s Proposed Smartphone Security Rules Face Backlash Over Source Code Access

India’s plan to introduce new smartphone security standards — including a provision that would require device makers to share source code — has triggered strong criticism from privacy advocates and technology experts, who warn the measures could expand state surveillance. Companies such as Apple and Samsung have privately objected to the proposed package, Reuters reported, citing confidential government and industry documents.

The draft framework is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to strengthen user data protection amid rising online fraud and data breaches in India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market with nearly 750 million devices. However, India’s IT ministry said consultations were ongoing and insisted it was not considering seeking source code access, without directly addressing the documents referenced in the report.

Civil liberties groups argue the plan would give authorities excessive control over personal devices. The Internet Freedom Foundation said it “strongly rejects” any proposal granting the state access to confidential source code and embedding persistent controls into phones, while legal and cybersecurity experts warned of conflicts of interest if the government can review security updates before release and test them — potentially enabling surveillance rather than protection.

Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright