Sanchar Saathi app row: Check which countries mandate pre-installation of government apps on new phones

The recent debacle on the Sanchar Saathi app has raised questions about mass user privacy as well as state-backed surveillance. The smartphone, which emerged as a symbol of personal freedom and global connectivity, is swiftly becoming a battleground for digital sovereignty and state control. While most governments around the world rely on traditional legal requests to access device data of an individual, a handful of nations have moved to a more aggressive tactic – mandating the pre-installation of state-backed software directly onto mobile devices.