When the Ministry of Communications briefly mandated the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app on all new smartphones, the last thing anyone expected was a political firestorm. The app, launched as a digital safety companion for India’s 1.2 billion mobile users, instantly became a target of Congress leaders and online “privacy alarmists,” who claimed it was a covert surveillance tool.
But while the hashtags trended and accusations flew, something crucial was missing from the conversation: facts.
Independent technical audits, data released by the DoT, and usage history all tell a story radically different from the political narrative. And that story clearly shows that Sanchar Saathi is not just harmless it is one of the most transparent, tightly controlled, and citizen-oriented digital security tools India has built in years.
How seriously can anyone take Congress’s claim that Sanchar Saathi is a “snooping tool”?
To begin with, Sanchar Saathi cannot read your messages, listen to your calls, or access personal data. But facts never stopped Congress from peddling paranoia.
This is the same Congress… https://t.co/WQJsCIyJP9 pic.twitter.com/paqXOpb1TV
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 2, 2025
Sanchar Saathi is not a new surveillance program. It’s simply the app version of the existing Sanchar Saathi portal, launched publicly in May 2023 and used voluntarily by over 1.3 crore Indians.
Its functions are straightforward:
- Block a stolen mobile phone
- Check SIMs issued in your name
- Verify legitimacy of a new or second-hand phone
- Report spam calls/SMS
As of December 2025 (v1.0.8), the app requests only two permissions and both are read-only and user-triggered:
- READ_CALL_LOG → used only when you tap “Report Spam Call”
- READ_SMS → used only when you tap “Report Spam SMS”
That’s it. No camera, no microphone, no storage, no contacts, no location tracking, no background activity.
Independent teardowns by the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) and cybersecurity analyst Ritesh Bhatia reached a unanimous conclusion: “No hidden trackers, no background traffic, no signs of surveillance modules.” Wireshark traffic dumps shared by technical users revealed the same: zero outbound packets when the app is idle.
Why the permissions make sense
The only reason Sanchar Saathi reads call logs and SMS is to enable spam reporting a feature used globally by Google, Apple, and third-party apps. The app:
- does not auto-scan logs,
- does not send data in the background,
- does not access contact lists,
- does not monitor phone usage.
- Every single feature needs the user to tap something.
By comparison:
- Google Dialer constantly reads your call logs to provide real-time spam detection.
- Truecaller has access to your entire contact list, call logs, and overlay controls permanently.
- Apple’s Find My runs continuously in the background and cannot be uninstalled.
Against these standards, Sanchar Saathi is less intrusive. Congress’s allegation that the app is “snooping” fits a pattern that India has seen repeatedly over the last decade alarming rhetoric without evidence.
2020: Aarogya Setu “Surveillance” Claim
Rahul Gandhi declared the COVID-19 safety app a “sophisticated surveillance system.” Months later, the World Health Organisation praised it for being one of the world’s most effective digital tools against the pandemic.
2019: WhatsApp Snooping Panic
After dozens of press conferences and primetime debates, no evidence surfaced tying the government to any wrongdoing.
Pegasus Claims
Rahul Gandhi claimed his phone was compromised by Pegasus spyware. But the Supreme Court-appointed technical panel found:
- ZERO evidence of Pegasus
- on all 29 devices tested, including those belonging to complainants
Not one device showed traces of the spyware. While today’s accusations are loud, it is Congress’s own tenure that saw multiple confirmed instances of spying on its own people.
- Phone Tapping of Rajasthan MLAs: During the Gehlot–Pilot political crisis, several Congress legislators admitted they were being monitored. The party never denied the allegation beyond vague statements.
- Bugging of Pranab Mukherjee’s office: The then Finance Minister discovered suspicious adhesive patches — a classic tell-tale sign of planted listening devices — inside his North Block office. Mukherjee had to personally order an electronic sweep.
- Surveillance near the Army Chief’s residence: Unauthorised phone lines were discovered close to the home of General V.K. Singh a matter of national security, not simple politics.
These instances were not “allegations”; they were documented cases. Congress has a history of internal espionage a fact it hopes the public forgets. Even as political battles rage on social media, real-world numbers reveal the actual crisis.
संचार साथी: आपका डिजिटल रक्षक! 📱
भारत सरकार का फ्री Sanchar Saathi ऐप आपकी मोबाइल से संबंधित सभी समस्याओं का वन-स्टॉप समाधान है! यह ऐप आपके मोबाइल को चोरी, धोखाधड़ी और फर्जी कनेक्शन से सुरक्षित रखने में मदद करता है।
क्यों है संचार साथी जरूरी?
खोए/चोरी हुए फोन को करें ब्लॉक:… pic.twitter.com/cwy28OCPfn
— BJP (@BJP4India) December 3, 2025
2024–25 Fraud Statistics
- Rs 42,000 crore lost to phone-based financial scams
- 18 lakh fake or cloned IMEI devices seized
- Millions of phishing and SIM misuse complaints
- 5 lakh+ SIMs deactivated after TAFCOP verification
Mobile fraud is not a conspiracy theory it is a national emergency.
Sanchar Saathi’s Achievements
- 26 lakh+ stolen phones traced
- 7 lakh+ recovered and returned
- 6.4 lakh lost phones blocked using CEIR
- 4 crore+ IMEI numbers verified
No other app has materially improved citizen safety on this scale. And none of these features require mass data collection or background monitoring.
Criminals were buying phones, wiping essential security apps, and reusing devices to continue scams. Sanchar Saathi worked flawlessly only if it stayed on the device.
Just like:
- Find My iPhone
- Google Find My Device
- Emergency SOS
These safety features are non-removable because people’s lives, data, and money depend on them. Once voluntary adoption skyrocketed, the government relaxed the mandate. The system had worked without coercion.
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