India Demands Smartphone Source Code, Sparks Tech Giant Opposition

• India proposes new security standards requiring smartphone makers to share source code and make software changes.
• Tech giants like Apple and Samsung oppose the move, citing lack of global precedent and risk to proprietary details.
• The plan aims to boost user data security amid rising online fraud and data breaches in India's large smartphone market.
• Proposed changes include allowing uninstallation of pre-installed apps, blocking camera/mic background use, and mandatory malware scanning.
• Industry group MAIT argues source code review is impossible due to secrecy and privacy, and other requirements are impractical.

Why It Matters: India's push for smartphone source code access faces strong resistance from global tech companies over privacy and practicality.