No demand for source code, say phone makers

Key Highlights

• The supposed demand, which was reported by the newswire agency Reuters over the weekend, cited a 2023 document by the National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS), a Bengaluru-based arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
• Other proposals include requiring on-device logging, which the industry is reported to have opposed, and notifying authorities about upcoming security updates.
• The report claimed that the government was “considering imposing [the requirements] legally”.
• Explained: Is the government seeking phones’ source code?
• The IT Ministry denied the source code claim, alluding to the report, and a senior official said that this was a mischaracterisation of the nature of its conversations with phone makers.