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NaMo app data leak dangerous, say experts; BJP calls Rahul tech illiterate

The BJP described Rahul Gandhi's accusation of 'data theft' against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'a classic case of technological illiteracy'

BS Web Team  |  New Delhi 

Narendra Modi
Narendra Modi

Heated exchanges between the Congress and the BJP on the issue of data 'theft' escalated on Monday, with the Opposition party dubbing Prime Minister Narendra Modi the "Big Boss who likes to spy on Indians" and the ruling party hitting back, saying even "Chhota Bheem" knows it is not snooping. Apart from the cartoon character, mythological characters from the epic 'Mahabharata' were also used by the two parties to take jibes at each other. The BJP on Monday described Rahul Gandhi’s accusation of “data theft” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “a classic case of technological illiteracy” and said the Congress president was rattled after his plan to influence the next Lok Sabha election with the help of Cambridge Analytica was “exposed”. At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra lashed out at Gandhi, saying such a technological illiteracy had rarely been seen in Indian politics.Twitter was the battleground as the debate on the prickly issue spiralled and the ruling BJP also accused the Opposition Congress of data "theft", saying it had taken off its app after the allegations came out in the open. The Congress, however, claimed it had not done so. The site was "dysfunctional" and all memberships were done through the party's official website, it said. Tech experts believe that while the data accumulated by the INC App, run by the Congress, might have accumulated some data on its users, the damage done by the NaMo app might be far more, considering the sheer number of downloads (five million to date), as well as the past history of risk owing to its in-app security features, or the lack of them. 1) Rahul Gandhi 'technologically illiterate', says BJP: At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra lashed out at Gandhi, saying such a technological illiteracy had rarely been seen in Indian politics. He said Gandhi could tweet tomorrow that Modi and the BJP were connected to electronic voting machines through the NaMo app and they had been winning election after election because they hacked it.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is technologically illiterate. He does not know that data analysis is not equivalent to spying. This new age is the age of information which Rahul ji will not understand: Sambit Patra, BJP pic.twitter.com/LgWKwb5XdI

— ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2018 2) Congress says its app 'dysfunctional': Why did Congress remove its app?
"The BJP and some journalists started circulating the fake and defunct URL and misleading people into believing that there was a breach of data, and (that) we were giving out the information to our friends in Singapore. That is why we had to remove i, said Divya Spandana, AICC's social media head.
The Congress on Monday took down its 'WithINC mobile app, saying it had been defunct for five months and emphasising that there was no breach of data through it. Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the allegations of Congress collecting data through this app were the "half-truth". "As is usual with the BJP, they did not tell you that the 'WithINC' app had only 15,000 downloads. It had become defunct because our people do not like the 'missed call' membership. Congressmen believe in physical or offline membership. In contrast, the Narendra Modi app has had 50 lakh downloads," he said. Earlier, the Congress, on its official Twitter handle, said that the 'WithINC' was only a membership app and had not been in use for over five months since the party moved membership to www.inc.in from November 16, 2017. "This morning we were forced to remove the app from the Google Play store as the wrong URL was being circulated and people were being misled. It said that the app was being used for "social media updates alone since transitioning the membership to the website". "There is no truth to this allegation. There has been no breach of data whatsoever," it said. 3) Impact of the NaMo app is much more than that of the INC app: Experts: Technology experts believe that while the data accumulated by the INC App, run by the Congress, might have accumulated some data on its users, the damage done by NaMo app might be far more, considering the sheer number of downloads (five million to date), as well as the past history of risk owing to its in-app security features or the lack of them.

Problems in the in-app security in the NaMo app were in fact flagged back in 2015. Also, allegedly not asking for the user’s consent before changing the terms and conditions was another thing industry experts believed was a dangerous trend. 4) A French vigilante says NaMo app shares its data with third-party illegally: Narendra Modi government is now facing the ire of privacy vigilantes for illegally sharing data from the "official app of the Prime Minister of India" with a third party company in the US. A French vigilante hacker in a series of tweets alleged that the personal data including email IDs, photos, gender and names of the users of Modi's mobile app were being sent to a third party domain without their consent. "When you create a profile in the official @narendramodi #Android app, all your device info (OS, network type, Carrier …) and personal data (email, photo, gender, name, …) are sent without your consent to a third-party domain called http://in.wzrkt.com," the privacy vigilante who goes by the name Elliot Alderson tweeted on March 23. Alderson claimed that this domain belongs to a US-based company called CleverTap, a mobile marketing solution provider with offices in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

5) CleverTap uses data of NaMo app users to drive long-term retention and growth: Co-founded by entrepreneurs Sunil Thomas, Anand Jain and Suresh Kondamudi in 2013, CleverTap says that it provides insights that their clients need to keep users engaged and drive long-term retention and growth. 6) BJP says NaMo users' data used for analytics: The BJP responded to the allegations by saying that the data is being used for analytics using third-party service, similar to Google Analytics. While saying that using an analytics solution is standard in the mobile development world, Alderson pointed out that sharing personal data without the consent of the users "is illegal". Moreover, collecting personal data of users "without their consent is against the TOS (Terms of Service) of Google Play Store." "I only believe in the technical truth. Don't trust political speeches from both sides. Thing is, @narendramodi's app is sending personal data to a third party company without user consent. The rest are just suppositions," Alderson said in another tweet on Sunday. 7) NaMo app describes itself as the "official app of the Prime Minister of India": At the Google Play Store, the NaMo app describes itself as the "official app of the Prime Minister of India". However, the app -- or the website "narendramodi.in" -- is not owned by or affiliated to the government, which generally uses the domain "nic.in" or "gov.in". The website is hosted by a US-based company Akamai, headquartered in Massachusetts and the app is owned by Modi in his private capacity, not by the Prime Minister's office, and he has provided 11, Ashok Road, New Delhi -- BJP's headquarter till a few months back -- as the registered address. The domain "narendramodi.in" was created on February 28, 2005 (around a decade before he became the Prime Minister) and is scheduled to expire on February 28, 2019. However, the app was launched in June 2015. It has had over five million downloads on the Google Play Store so far. 8) Cambridge Analytica behind Rahul Gandhi's 'Gabbar Singh Tax' jibe, claimed BJP: Stepped up its attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, BJP had said that Cambridge Analytica's "footprints" were visible in the Opposition party's campaign in Gujarat. Further, the BJP suggested that Cambridge Analytica had a role in the Congress chief's use of the term "Gabbar Singh Tax". Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also suggested that the firm had a role in Gandhi's social media campaign and the Congress' "poisonous" electioneering in Gujarat. 9) Congress shares app users' data with friends in Singapore', alleged BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya: Amit Malviya echoed Irani, saying the Congress app was sharing user data with Gandhi's friends in Singapore. "Hi! my name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of India's oldest political party. When you signup for our official App, I give all your data to my friends in Singapore," he tweeted. In subsequent tweets, he cited bits from the Congress web site's privacy policy. The bit Malviya highlighted from the Congress party's privacy policy when using its website, says: "For making the use of Website effective and resourceful Indian National Congress may share your information with vendors, consultants, and other service providers or volunteers who are engaged by or working with us and who need access to such information to carry out their work for us; with candidates, organizations, groups or causes that we believe have similar political viewpoints, principles or objectives". The remaining portion of that paragraph not highlighted about the Congress's privacy policy says: "...when you give us your consent to do so, including if we notify you on the Website, that the information you provide will be shared in a particular manner and you provide such information; when we believe in good faith that we are required to do so by law, court order, as requested by other government or law enforcement authority..." Malviya said that "implications are grave" about the part of the Congress's privacy policy about sharing users'' information "with candidates, organizations, groups or causes that we believe have similar political viewpoints, principles or objectives". The BJP leader said those with viewpoints similar to the Congress could mean, "Maoists, stone pelters, Bharat Ke Tukde Gang, Chinese embassy to globally 'renowned' orgs like Cambridge Analytica, the field is extensive and wide open." 10) Rahul Gandhi calls Modi 'Big Boss', BJP calls in Chhota Bheem: "Modi’s NaMo App secretly records audio, video, contacts of your friends and family and even tracks your location via GPS. He’s the Big Boss who likes to spy on Indians. Now he wants data on our children. 13 lakh NCC cadets are being forced to download the app," tweeted Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, BJP leader Smriti Irani hit back, saying even 'Chhota Bheem' knows all collection of data is not equal to snooping.
With Agency inputs

First Published: Tue, March 27 2018. 08:55 IST

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