Apple has agreed to work with the Indian government in developing an anti-spam app mobile application for its iOS platform.
Apple has refused the offer once, putting forward privacy concerns, as per the sources. As per the reports, Apple was in talks with India’s telecoms regulator for more than a year, before getting agreed at the end.
Officials complained that Apple refused to advise the government how to develop an app that would allow iPhone users to report unsolicited marketing texts or calls as spam.
The government app was launched on Google’s Android platform the previous year. But Apple was not ready for an iOS version of the app due to concerns that it will have to give access to call and text logs could compromise its customers’ privacy.
As per the sources, it was last month that Apple has agreed to help develop the app, but only with limited capabilities.
Also, it has been learned that Apple’s executives have told India that its current iOS platform might not allow for some of the government’s requests, such as making call logs available within the app that would allow users to report them as spam. Now, in a new app, all the requirements will be fulfilled.
An Apple spokesman confirmed that the new iOS features to combat anti-spam app text messages would help the government build the app, but did not comment on the app’s potential inability to access call logs for reporting spam, as the Android version does.
The spokesman added that Apple had not changed its stance on privacy.
R.S. Sharma, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said he was unhappy with Apple for not responding swiftly to the government’s requests.
In a statement, Sharma said, “We’ve told them they are harming their consumers,” adding that, “I hope good sense prevails upon them.”
Apple refused to comment on TRAI’s criticism but said that it had taken time to develop a privacy-friendly solution.
Also Read:- German Security Researcher hacks Apple AirTag via loopholes in the gadget
