Big news for smartphone users, now Aadhaar app will not have to be forcibly installed in the phone, government withdrew this proposal.

News India Live, Digital Desk: The Central Government has taken a big decision, giving great relief to crores of smartphone users of the country. The government has put on hold the controversial proposal in which it was said to make it mandatory to pre-install ‘Aadhaar app’ (m-Aadhaar) in all new smartphones. After this decision, both mobile companies and users have heaved a sigh of relief. This step of the government is being considered very important in view of the privacy and security related concerns. Why did the government want to make it mandatory? Initially, a proposal had come to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), under which there was a plan to make Aadhaar services a part of the phone’s software to make it more accessible. It was argued that this would make it easier for citizens to show digital identity and avail benefits of government schemes. However, as soon as this news came out, experts started raising questions regarding privacy and data security. Privacy and security became the main reason. According to sources, the government has taken this decision in view of the increasing concerns regarding privacy and the technical challenges of smartphone manufacturers. Security experts believed that if an app is made ‘in-built’, then users are not able to delete it on their own will. In such a situation, if there was any security flaw in the app, then the data of crores of users could have been in danger. The government is now emphasizing on ‘voluntary’ option instead of ‘compulsory’. Big relief to mobile companies. Major smartphone manufacturing companies like Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi have also expressed relief with the withdrawal of this proposal. Companies said that adding different pre-installed apps for each country affects the performance and storage of their operating system (OS). Now users will be able to download the Aadhaar app themselves from Google Play Store or Apple App Store as per their need. Now what will be the next step? The government is now working on new technology to further strengthen the security of Aadhaar. Under the Digital India campaign, the government aims to make services accessible, but not impose any app on the users. This means that in future too, you will have complete control over which app you want to keep in your phone and which one you do not.