Dispute between Apple, Trai widens

New Delhi/ San Francisco, March 27: Tech giant Apple and India’s telecoms regulator are at loggerheads over the development of a government anti- spam mobile application, with user privacy at the heart of a deepening rift between the two sides.

The latest impasse comes after Apple in October agreed to provide some help to the regulator to tap into new iOS features to build the “Do Not Disturb” app, which allows users to report unsolicited calls and text messages as spam.

At issue has been Apple’s contention that allowing the app broad access to customers’ call and text logs could compromise privacy.

The arguments are the latest example of challenges faced by global technology players, who often need to balance user privacy while handling requests from governments and regulators around access to content on devices.

In July last year, Apple removed apps from its Chinese App Store that helped users browse the Internet privately in order to comply with a new cyber security law.

In India, despite October’s agreement, the two sides have not met since November, and the Indian regulator told Apple in January it was still waiting for “basic clarifications” on what exactly can the iOS version of its app offer, according to a government source with direct knowledge and an email exchange seen by Reuters.

Apple told Reuters last week the government app “as envisioned violates the privacy policy” of its App Store.

Apple said it had been working with government engineers and would “continue discussing ways they can design their app to keep users’ personal data safe”.

Apple’s stance, though, has irked the head of the Trai, R. S. Sharma, who says he will consult his legal team on how Apple could be pushed to help develop the application more swiftly.

“We will take appropriate legal action,” Mr Sharma told Reuters in an interview. “This is unjust, it shows the approach and attitude of this company.”

He did not elaborate on what action the regulator might take. Apple did not comment on Mr Sharma’s remarks, but said that it shared Trai’s goal of protecting customers from unwanted calls and messages.