Data privacy: Govt asks 21 phone makers including leading Chinese brands to give detailed response

Wary of hacking and stealing of information from smartphones, the government has sent notices to Chinese and other device makers to provide the framework and procedures followed for data security.

As many as 21 phone makers, including leading Chinese brands Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi and Gionee, have been asked to give “detailed, structured written response” on how they secure data and ensure its safety and security, a government order said.

The directive comes amid the stand-off between India and China over Dokalam as also rising concerns over imports of Chinese IT and telecom products. According to an estimate, mobile phone import stood at USD 3.7 billion in 2016-17. The directive follows fears of hacking of information on mobile phones — many Chinese manufacturers have their servers in China — as also personal information such as contact lists, messages and pictures being stolen. Non-Chinese phone makers such as Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry and Indian players are also among the companies that have been sent notice by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

“The ministry has given time till August 28 to all companies to furnish their responses,” a senior IT Ministry official said. He referred to international and domestic reports on data leaks from mobile …read more