India is planning new security rules that will force smartphone manufacturers to allow the removal of pre-installed apps. and checking for major operating system updates, Reuters reported this Wednesday (15). These measures are aimed at improving the privacy and security of users. technology in the country.

The implementation of the proposed new rules in India could result in loss of business for Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo and Apple. Moreover, the new measures could lead to longer launch schedules in the world’s second largest smartphone market.according to a plan that had not been detailed before.

New security rules proposed by the Indian Ministry of Information Technology are being considered to tackle espionage and abuse of user data, a government source said. Information about the plans of the Indian government has not yet been made public, only sources associated with Reuters indicate it.

“Preinstalled apps can be a weak link in security and we want to ensure that no foreign country, including China, takes advantage of them. This is a matter of national security,” said an anonymous source associated with the portal.

The proposed new rules for smartphone manufacturers in India would require them to provide the ability to uninstall pre-installed apps, and new models would be tested by a lab authorized by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The meeting was held behind closed doors, but the authorities deny it

According to a confidential government report dated Feb. 8, representatives from Xiaomi, Samsung, Apple and Vivo attended a private meeting of the Indian Ministry of Information Technology. The document states that most smartphones in use in the country have pre-installed apps that pose privacy and information security concerns.

The government has stipulated that smartphone makers will have one year to adapt to the new rules, whose effective date has yet to be determined, according to an internal document. So far, the mentioned companies have not commented on possible changes.

India’s Minister of State for Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has denied that the government plans to mandate the removal of pre-installed apps and checking for OS updates on smartphones. He said there were no “safety tests” or “reprisals” as the story suggests, and that consultations continued between government and industry.

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Source: Reuters.

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