Union Govt Drops Proposal to Require Smartphones to Pre-Install Aadhar App: Report
New Delhi: The Union government has decided to not move forward with a proposal to require Apple, Samsung and others to pre-install the Aadhaar app on phones, a move that had been earlier opposed by the smartphone giants, reported Reuters.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) said in a statement to Reuters on Friday (April 17) that after reviewing the proposal, the IT Ministry is "is not in favour of mandating the pre-installation of the Aadhaar App on smartphones."
Last month, Reuters had reported that UIDAI, the government body that operates Aadhaar, had asked the IT ministry in January to engage with Apple, Google and other leading smartphone makers and consider mandatory pre-installation of the Aadhaar app.
In its response to Reuters, UIDAI didn’t give any reason for the decision in the statement. India's IT ministry did not respond to Reuters queries.
The IT ministry held a "consultation with stakeholders from the electronics industry" before reaching its decision to drop the Aadhaar preloading proposal, UIDAI said in its statement.
The Aadhaar request was the sixth time in two years the government has sought pre-installation of state apps on phones, according to industry communications reviewed by Reuters earlier this year. All six attempts were opposed by the industry.
Reuters cited documents it has reviewed to report that smartphone makers highlighted concerns about device security and compatibility when they received the Aadhaar preload proposal. It had also flagged higher production costs as they would have been required to run separate manufacturing lines for India and export markets.
Apple and Samsung had both expressed concerns with the proposal due to questions over safety and security, sources told Reuters in March.
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