Access Permissions for TRAI Apps
After the launch of TRAI apps on June 5, 2017, some rare concerns have been expressed in social media about privacy. We welcome the interest in the apps and are happy to answer the questions that have been raised. TRAI is committed to transparency and protection of privacy. The reasons why access to information is required and what happens with the accessed data is summarized in the Table below.
Category | DND 2.0 App | MyCall App | MySpeed App |
---|---|---|---|
Contacts: Read your contacts. | To know who are your real contacts, and therefore, not likely a telemarketer. | To present you with a call log with caller names. This is to help you rate the call at a later, convenient time. | |
Location : Approximate location (network-based). Precise location (GPS and network-based). | To correlate your call experience with network at a given location. | To correlate your data speed with network at a given location. | |
SMS Read your text messages. | For intelligent spam detection and thus to reduce the burden of locating and reporting spam manually. The message is reported to the telephone service provider only when the user elects to do so. | ||
Phone Directly call phone numbers. Reroute outgoing calls. Read call log. Read phone status and identity. Write call log. | To check your phone status and to know which number is sending you an unwanted call or SMS. | To know when a call is initiated and completed, so you are prompted to rate it thereafter. | To determine whether you are using mobile data or Wi-Fi for connection, and to determine and report speed accordingly. |
Photos/Media/Files Read the contents of your USB storage. Modify or delete the contents of your USB storage. | Required to store call rating information till submission, when Wi-Fi and/or data network is available, as configured by user. | Required to store measurement information till submission, when Wi-Fi and/or data network is available, as configured by user. | |
Device ID & call information, Read phone status and identity. | To detect dual SIM phones and change of SIM in same device. | To detect dual SIM phones and change of SIM in same device. | |
Other Full network access. Draw over other apps. | Required to register your number for DND, to check DND status, to check incoming call/SMS is from SPAMMER or not. If it is from a number marked as SPAM, app will notify by drawing suggestion popup on top of the app running in foreground. | ||
Other View network connections. Full network access. Toggle sync on and off. | Required to check whether internet is available through cellular network or Wi-Fi and to send the collected feedback to TRAI. | ||
Other Receive data from Internet. View network connections. Read battery statistics. Connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi. Full network access Run at startup. Prevent device from sleeping. | Required to determine whether the internet is over cellular network or WIFI and to start the speed test and report to TRAI. Also, while speed test is in progress to prevent test abort if device sleeps. |
A few months ago, the source code of previous version of the DND App was published on Github. Shortly we shall do the same with the new version, as was mentioned during the launch. Developers are, therefore, free to check the code rather than harbour misapprehensions. They are also invited to help improve the security and privacy of the App.
Indeed, we encourage all stakeholders with expertise to collaborate with TRAI in development of these apps to bring in diversity of perspectives. Based on success of the first open source effort, TRAI may adopt the same methodology for further development of other apps also.