A viral claim that the Indian government is forcing smartphone manufacturers to share their source code as part of new security regulations has been fact-checked and debunked by the Channeliam Fact Check, in regards to a report by PIB. The government categorically denied the report, calling it false and misleading.
The controversial claim originated from a Reuters report suggesting that India was considering rules requiring companies such as Apple, Samsung, Google and Xiaomi to provide access to their proprietary source code and make other software-level changes to strengthen mobile security.
However, the Channeliam Fact Check clarifies that the Government of India has not proposed any measure to force smartphone makers to share source code with authorities. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has only begun routine consultations with industry stakeholders to explore possible enhancements to mobile security standards, a standard part of policy review processes.
According to PIB, no final regulations have been framed, and any future framework will be developed only after due consultations with manufacturers, experts and industry bodies. The discussions are intended to address cybersecurity concerns such as malware and data protection but do not include compulsory source code disclosure.
Government officials and mobile phone industry representatives have confirmed that talks are preliminary consultations, not enforceable mandates, underscoring that reports of forced source code sharing are incorrect and unverified.
Bottom Line:
Claim is False — Government has not proposed mandatory source code sharing by smartphone companies.
Ongoing consultations are routine and do not constitute a binding policy.
