Govt asks Apple, others to explain measures to secure data, privacy
NEW DELHI: The government has for the first time asked companies making and selling smartphones in India — the majority of them Chinese — to explain the measures they are taking to ensure the security of users’ data and their privacy.
Information technology ministry officials said on Wednesday this was the first step toward building a cyber-secure ecosystem in the country.
The ministry has told these companies, including Apple and Blackberry, that they have until August 28 to comply with the order. India imported mobile phones worth about $3.74 billion in 2016-17.
According to the ministry officials, the majority of the servers on which users’ data is stored are located in China.
“We have written to about 40 companies either producing, importing or selling smartphones, majority of them being Chinese, to inform the ministry by August 28 what are the security procedure and processes that are being adopted by them to ensure the security of user’s data and their privacy,” said a ministry official on Wednesday.
According to one estimate, about 200 million smartphones value at about Rs. 90,000 crore are sold every year in India, most of them either Chinese-made or imported from there.
The official said that the security of the data and ensuring privacy of the mobile device user are the responsibility of the company producing or selling mobile phones under section 43 A of the Information Technology Act.
Those who fail to comply with the ministry’s orders may face heavy penalties under various provisions of IT Act.
The officials said there are several reports — in India and internationally — about leaked mobile phone data on contacts, images and text messages being to third party.
Mobile devices are widely used for digital payments and e-commerce. At the same time, they carry personal data such as contact numbers and images, which are also shared on social media.