India requires smartphone makers to share source code for security reviews

India proposes requiring smartphone makers to share source code with the government and make several software changes as part of a raft of security measures, prompting behind-the-scenes opposition from giants like Apple and Samsung.

Tech companies have countered that the package of 83 security standards, which would also require them to alert the government to major software updates, lacks any global precedent and risks exposing proprietary details, according to four people familiar with the discussions and a Reuters review of confidential government and industry documents.

The plan is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to boost the security of user data as online fraud and data breaches increase in the world's second-largest smartphone market, with nearly 750 million phones.

IT Secretary S. Krishnan told Reuters that "any legitimate concerns of the industry will be addressed with an open mind," adding that it was "premature to read more into it." A ministry spokesperson said it could not comment further due to ongoing consultations with tech companies on the proposals.

Apple, South Korea's Samsung, Google, China's Xiaomi and MAIT, the Indian industry group that represents the firms, did not respond to requests for comment.

Xiaomi and Samsung – whose phones use Google's Android operating system – hold 19 percent and 15 percent, respectively, of India's market share and Apple five percent, Counterpoint Research estimates.

The Indian proposals also require companies to make software changes to allow pre-installed apps to be uninstalled and to block apps from using cameras and microphones in the background to "avoid malicious usage."

India's proposals for "vulnerability analysis" and "source code review" would require smartphone makers to perform a "complete security assessment", after which test labs in India could check their claims through source code review and analysis.

"This is not possible ... due to secrecy and privacy," MAIT said in a confidential document drafted in response to the government proposal, and seen by Reuters. "Major countries in the EU, North America, Australia and Africa do not mandate these requirements."

The Indian proposals would mandate automatic and periodic malware scanning on phones. Device makers would also have to inform the National Centre for Communication Security about major software updates and security patches before releasing them to users, and the centre would have the right to test them.

MAIT's document says regular malware scanning significantly drains a phone's battery and seeking government approval for software updates is "impractical" as they need to be issued promptly.

India also wants the phone's logs – digital records of its system activity – to be stored for at least 12 months on the device.

"There is not enough room on device to store one-year log events," MAIT said in the document.

(With input from Reuters)