India, Jan. 12 -- India's proposal to mandate the sharing of source code with the government for all smartphone manufacturers has raised much concern within the tech industry and digital policy circles. The proposal is part of the larger Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements and is intended to protect national security by enhancing security for all users of mobile phones as online fraud and data breaches are growing rapidly in the second largest smartphone market in the world.

Many industry associations and technology companies feel that this requirement will lead to unintended consequences and will likely create more exposure to cyber risks for both users and infrastructure, as well as create disincentives to invest and innovat...