India, Dec. 2 -- On Department of Telecom directions to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi App on mobile handsets, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor cited "common sense" to state that "these apps can be useful provided they are voluntary".

The Department of Telecom (DoT) directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app Sanchar Saathi is pre-installed in all new devices within 90 days.

The DoT directive has drawn criticism from the Opposition which has raised "snooping" fears, concerns that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government has addressed and dismissed.

Reacting to the development, Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday, "Common sense tells me that these apps can be useful provided they ar...