Government gives 7 days to phone makers to submit security protocol

Following the government’s extended deadline for mobile phone makers to give details of their data security practices, the Ministry of Electronics and IT has given handset-makers time till next Tuesday to respond with information. While around 12 companies had met the earlier deadline of August 28 and responded, some had asked for more time.

Several companies are yet to submit their security protocols and allied information to the IT Ministry, while firms such as Apple, Samsung, Gionee and HMD have responded to the government’s call. The new deadline is till September 12.

A government official, however, said that the findings of the report have not been analyzed yet. “We will start the process once the feedback from all companies is in. The idea is not just to target Chinese players but to understand the data handling practices of firms from all geographies, including India,” the spokesperson said, requesting anonymity.

People aware of the submissions said Apple has shared relevant details of its privacy policy and security features on its iOS platform, including hardware and application security features.

Market leader Samsung is learnt to have said that its devices are secured by Samsung Knox, the defence grade security platform which is built into latest Samsung devices.

In mid-August, the ministry had ordered 30 companies to provide individual security protocols for each of their devices. While issuing the order, the IT ministry had cited international and domestic reports about data leaks from mobile phones, and said devices and pre-loaded software and apps would be under scrutiny in the first phase.

Based on the response of the companies, it would initiate verification and audit of devices where required.

Tags: Government, phone makers, security protocol, mobile phone makers, ministry of electronics and it, it ministry, apple, samsung, gionee, hmd, ios platform, varindia