Tech News Desk – The central government is once again preparing to rein in the companies making smartphones. According to media reports, the government is planning a new security test for smartphones. Under the new security rules, smartphone makers will be allowed to remove pre-installed apps and mandatory screening of major operating system updates. Let us know that after the recent fine of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Google had announced several changes in its Android operating system and Google Play-Store billing for the Indian market.
new safety rules
However, so far not much information has been revealed about the new safety rule. But it is being said that this may affect the launch of new smartphones in the world’s second largest smartphone market. Which includes phones from companies like Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo and Apple. According to media reports, a senior government official said that India’s IT Ministry is considering these new rules amid concerns of espionage and misuse of users’ data, as this information has not yet been made public.
The official said that pre-installed apps can be a weak security point and we want to make sure that no foreign country, including China, is taking advantage of this. The official said that it is a matter of national security. Under the new rules, smartphone makers will have to give an option to uninstall the app and new models will also be tested by laboratories authorized by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Along with this, the government is also considering making it mandatory to test every major operating system update before rolling it out to the users. However, so far no official statement has come from the government in this matter.
Government is concerned about national security
The government has expressed concern many times about Chinese apps and their security policy. The biggest action in this was seen for the first time in the year 2020, when the government banned more than 300 Chinese apps simultaneously. It had also intensified scrutiny of investments by Chinese firms. Globally, many countries have also banned the use of technology from Chinese companies such as Huawei (and Hikvision). These companies have even been threatened with spying on foreign nationals. However, China denies these allegations.
Government will rein on pre-installed apps
Most smartphones currently come with pre-installed apps that cannot be removed, such as Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi’s app store GetApps, Samsung’s payments app Samsung Pay Mini and iPhone maker Apple’s Safari browser. The government is also planning to reduce pre-installed apps. For this, instead of the Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA) in India, the phone can be released under the new IMADA license. Under IMADA, it will not be mandatory to have search bar, Google apps folder etc. on the home screen.
Google bowed down before the Government of India
Recently, Google has also announced several changes to its Android operating system and Google Play-Store billing for the Indian market. Google has made these changes after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) penalty. Google said in a blog on January 25 that we take seriously our commitment to comply with local laws and regulations in India. Google said that the recent directions of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for Android and Play require us to make significant changes for India and how we will comply with their directions.