Even as the Congress and other opposition parties have raised strong objections to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directive on pre-installing the 'Sanchar Saathi' app in new mobile handsets, Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday that the app could be useful if voluntary.
“Common sense tells me that these apps can be useful provided they are voluntary. Everyone who needs them should be able to download them,” the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.
Tharoor, however, added that making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling. “I need to look more into the logic of the government,” he said.
The political row erupted on Monday after the DoT directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app 'Sanchar Saathi' is pre-installed in all new devices within 90 days.
According to an official release, the app enables citizens to check the genuineness of a mobile handset through the IMEI number, along with other facilities like reporting suspected fraudulent communications, and lost/ stolen mobile handsets.
It will also help in checking mobile connections in the customer's name and the trusted contact details of banks/ financial institutions.
The Congress has termed the directive ”unconstitutional” and said the right to privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty.
“Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT direction is beyond unconstitutional. The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution,” Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said in a post on X.