India has announced sweeping new measures to verify and record every smartphone in circulation—both new and used—as part of an expanded national push against device theft and cybercrime. The move, confirmed by the country’s telecom ministry, significantly broadens the scope of the government’s Sanchar Saathi initiative and has sparked fresh privacy concerns among citizens and digital-rights advocates.
According to the updated directive, companies that buy or trade used smartphones will now be required to authenticate every device through a central IMEI database before resale. This comes in addition to a controversial order compelling smartphone manufacturers to preinstall the government’s Sanchar Saathi app on all new devices and automatically push the app onto existing phones through software updates.
Originally launched in 2023, Sanchar Saathi allows users to block or trace lost and stolen phones. Government data shows the system has blocked more than 4.2 million devices and helped trace over 2.6 million, with the newly released app reportedly aiding the recovery of more than 700,000 phones this year alone. The app has seen rapid adoption—nearly 15 million downloads and more than 3 million monthly active users in November.
But the mandatory installation has drawn criticism. Civil society groups and privacy activists argue the expanded system increases government visibility into personal devices without transparent safeguards. They warn that new requirements to verify used devices—and a planned API that would enable trade-in platforms to upload customer identities directly to government servers—could create a nationwide repository of smartphone owners.
Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia attempted to downplay the concerns on Tuesday, insisting Sanchar Saathi is “a completely voluntary and democratic system” and that users may delete the app if they wish. However, an official directive reviewed by TechCrunch states manufacturers must ensure the app is “readily visible… at first use” and that its functionality “is not disabled or restricted,” raising doubts about whether the app is truly optional.
Deputy telecom minister Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar confirmed that most major manufacturers were part of the government’s working group—except Apple, which did not participate.
India is currently the world’s third-largest market for secondhand smartphones, with the sector expanding quickly as device prices rise. Yet up to 85% of the market remains informal, meaning most resale stores fall outside the scope of the new regulations. For now, the mandate applies mainly to formal recommerce and trade-in platforms.
Digital-rights experts warn of the long-term risks. “You’re essentially looking at the potential for every single device being databased in some form,” said Prateek Waghre of the Tech Global Institute. “What uses that database could be put to in the future, we don’t know.”
Analysts also fear that building a government-controlled verification and tracking system could edge out private-sector innovation in security technologies. Meghna Bal of Esya Centre argues that if the government intends to manage such a system, it must be backed by independent audits, strong data-governance rules, and transparent oversight.
The telecom ministry has not responded to media requests for comment.
For now, privacy advocates say the biggest concern is the opacity of how data will be collected, stored, and shared. While the Sanchar Saathi app remains visible on user devices, the back-end system that powers it—including IMEI verification, identity uploads, and the planned API—operates largely out of public view.
“The government is essentially saying every device sold, every device already owned, and every device resold must connect to its system,” Waghre said. “It’s a disproportionate and heavy-handed approach to restricting cybercrime.”
