In a major development, the government of India has reportedly asked the smartphone makers to share the source code of their software. This, according to Reuters, is a part of security measures that the government is trying to bring in for keeping users safe. However, the smartphone giants such as Apple and Samsung have opposed the ask from the government. The smartphone players said that the package of 83 security standards, which also includes a requirement to alert the government to major software updates, doesn't have any global precedent.
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Along with that, sharing source code of their software could also mean compromising prorietary details. India is the world's second-largest market with smartphones, with around 750 million phones actively being used. This ask from the government is to ensure that user data is safe.
IT Secretary S. Krishnan told Reuters, "any legitimate concerns of the industry will be addressed with an open mind," and added that it is, "premature to read more into it."
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However, after the development was Reuters was posted, the IT Ministry said that it "refutes the statement" and isn't looking for source code from the smartphone makers. Much recently, another development said that the government was looking for the smartphone makers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on their phones. This ask was also met with resistance by the smartphone players like Apple.
Note that it is not the first time a government has asked for source code from smartphone makers. China did so twice in 2014 and 2016, but Apple declined. In fact, even the United States of America (USA) government has tried to access the source code, but has failed. This is a very sensitive thing for the smartphone makers to share, and thus, is unlikely to be shared.
