Teenagers and young adults often rebel against parents who infantilise them and insist on knowing every detail of their lives. Most Indian parents typically justify this as concern for safety. Today, the Indian State echoes this family drama on a national scale, where well-meaning bureaucrats imagine themselves as parents to a nation of perpetually vulnerable citizens, convinced that constant oversight is care. The result is an ever-present digital companion called a ‘Saathi’ to supervise communications, ‘Sanchar’, in the name of protection.

It would help public confidence if there were greater clarity on whether Sanchar Saathi is government-owned and operated. Recent public discussion around systems such as DigiYatra — which enable airport facial recognition and is operated by a private

See Full Page