IT Ministry Takes Over Mobile Device Safety Talks; Industry Calls it Routine

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) now leads discussions on mobile phone safety standards, shifting from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
• This move aligns with the Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements (ITSAR) framework, covering security aspects like software updates and source code access.
• Industry players, including ICEA (representing Apple, Vivo, Xiaomi), view these discussions as routine consultations, not a forced mandate.
• MeitY has held multiple rounds of talks with manufacturers, with the process described as open and transparent.
• Claims by Reuters about India forcing smartphone makers to share source code are debunked as #FAKE by #PIBFactCheck.

Why It Matters: MeitY now handles mobile device safety standards under ITSAR, with industry seeing it as routine consultation.