Indian Government Plans New Smartphone Rules That Could Force Tech Giants to Share Source Code and Alert Authorities on Updates

The Indian government has planned a major security rules and regulations for smartphone sold in the country. This overhaul requires manufacturers including  Samsung, Google, and Xiaomi to share their source code with the government. Other than this, the rules also states and ask companies to make several software changes to meet a set of 83 proposed security standards. The proposal came in as part to curb India’s ongoing challenge to protect user data online, data breaches, online fraud, and many other several issues. India has nearly 750 million mobile users, and hence, government aims to improve and stabilize the security for both apps and devices.

What is Source Code and Why the Indian Government is Asking for It

Source Code is one of the most sensitive parts of any smartphone, as it contains the instructions that make a phone’s software work. After Indian government asks for the source code, tech companies say sharing this information could reveal proprietary details and that leads to security risks and user privacy.

Apple, for example, has refused similar requests from China in the past. Industry groups also argue that no other country mandates full source code disclosure. Nevertheless, if shared, the government will build designated labs to test and verify the security of phones using this source code. Companies, though warns that sharing this source code could conflict with trade and privacy.

List of Things Indian Government is Demanding from Tech Companies

Software Adjustments

The proposed rules and regulations from Indian government also include software adjustment. It means smartphones should be allowed to uninstall their pre-installed apps. In addition, the apps should not be able to access cameras, microphones, or location services in the background, that too without user consent. Smartphone manufacturers need to display warnings in smartphoens so that user can review permissions regularly.

However, tech giants argue that these requirements are challenging, and hence, constant malware scanning can drain battery life very fast. They also assert that notifying government before every software update seems to be impractical. It means delaying in security patches could expose devices to threats.

Log Retention, Tamper Alerts, and Anti-Rollback

Alongside Software Adjustments, government says smartphones are required to store system logs for at least 12 months. Devices need to detect if they have been rooted, jailbroken, or display warnings. Companies could also blocks the old version of software to prevent users from downgrading. Industry experts note that many of these measures have no global precedent and could affect device performance.

Ongoing Discussions

To address these concerns, the IT Ministry is consulting with several tech giants, including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and more. Meetings have been scheduled to propose and explore possible adjustments. While government surely wants to have stronger user security, smartphone manufacturers are arguing that these are not practical and globally recognized approaches, hence, asking government to look for more worldwide followed rules and regulations.