JAKARTA - The Indian government has officially canceled a controversial plan that previously required smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, to install the digital identity application, Aadhaar, by default on devices.
This decision was taken after the relevant ministries consulted with technology and manufacturing industry players.
Previously, the Indian Ministry of Communications proposed that all mobile phones sold in the country must be equipped with the Aadhaar application - a state-owned biometric identity platform.
This policy has the potential to impact various global manufacturers, including Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi.
However, after being reviewed, the Indian Ministry of Information Technology stated that it did not support the obligation, without giving detailed reasons other than the results of discussions with industry stakeholders.
Industry and Privacy Concerns
From the industry side, smartphone manufacturers are worried about the impact of logistics and costs. They have to produce special device variants for the Indian market, separate from the global market.
Meanwhile, Apple has firmly rejected the plan. The company is said to be concerned about the implications for user privacy and security.
Outside the industry, criticism also came from political groups and civil society who assessed that the policy had the potential to open the door to excessive surveillance by the state.
Not the First Attempt
This is not the first time the Indian government has tried to expand control over the digital device ecosystem.
In 2025, the government had encouraged the installation of other state applications on devices, as well as proposing a preview mechanism for the operating system before it was released to the public.
The steps triggered a long debate between regulators and global technology companies regarding the limits of state authority over consumer devices.
Regulatory and Ecosystem Balance
The cancellation of this policy shows a more compromising approach from the Indian government, at least for now.
On one hand, the country wants to expand the adoption of national digital services. On the other hand, pressure from industry and privacy issues make this kind of policy difficult to implement without resistance.
Even though this plan was canceled, discussions about the role of the government in the digital ecosystem are not over.
India remains one of the world's largest technology markets, as well as a tug-of-war between state interests, global companies, and user rights.
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