The Indian government is reportedly discussing rules for smartphone makers to share their source code with third party testers and notify the government before major software updates. Reuters reported these potential rules, but the government has denied asking for source code disclosure. Source code is the core software behind phones and is usually kept secret to protect company secrets and security. Showing it can risk hacking and data breaches. This demand is rare worldwide. Even Apple does not share its source code with foreign governments. The talks come after a controversy over the government’s earlier demand to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi spam app on phones, which raised privacy worries. In 2023, the Department of Telecommunications created technical rules called ITSAR as part of a security testing process for telecom devices. But after the new Telecom Act, smartphone testing moved to the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY). A senior MeitY official told The Hindu that discussions on security and certification were continuing but decisions were not final. MeitY said it is keeping an “open mind” to protect the country and consumers. The India Cellular and Electronics Association, representing phone makers, also downplayed the talk of source code demands. Digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation urged the government to be transparent. They want public release of draft rules and clearer details about meetings with tech firms. IFF said, "If the government claims these proposals do not exist, it must explain the specific documentation currently hosted on its own website and also disclose the minutes of meetings." No final regulations on smartphone source code sharing or update notifications have been made public yet.