The mounting controversy surrounding the mandatory installation of the "Havfsiz Talaba" (Safe Student) mobile application in Tashkent universities has taken a concerning turn. Reports have emerged indicating that law enforcement officers allegedly threatened a university student with 15 days of administrative detention after he refused to download the controversial software.
Public backlash regarding the forceful promotion of the application surfaced on November 3. Students from the Uzbekistan State World Languages University and the University of World Economy and Diplomacy reported that university administrations and tutors demanded application installations both at campus checkpoints and during ongoing lectures. In certain instances, academic sessions were reportedly suspended, giving students a strict ten-minute window to complete the download process.
According to reports by Kun.uz, similar coercive tactics were deployed at the International University of Turkic States in the Uchtepa district. On November 3, during active classes, representatives of the district internal affairs department—led by the deputy head of the department—reportedly entered classrooms, checked students' personal mobile phones, and demanded the application be installed.
One student reportedly questioned the security of sharing personal data through the program and explained his inability to download the software on an iPhone, given that it is distributed exclusively in APK format for Android devices. According to the complainant, the officer responded by attempting to twist his arm, trying to seize his phone, and threatening him with a 15-day arrest.
The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has reportedly failed to respond to media inquiries regarding the incident. It is worth recalling that amidst the ongoing fallout from the "Havfsiz Talaba" enforcement campaign, Ulugbek Yuldashev, dean of the translation faculty at the Uzbekistan State World Languages University, was previously dismissed from his position.
Source: podrobno.uz