FIR filed against company that developed TDP’s Seva Mitra app

HYDERABAD: Madhapur-based IT Grids India Private Ltd came under Cyberabad police radar following charges that it had resorted to data theft. An FIR was registered against the company, which developed TDP’s official app ‘Seva Mitra’, on the charges of criminal conspiracy, theft, cheating and violating sections of the Information Technology Act. Police stepped in based on a complaint by city-based data analyst T Lokeswara Reddy.

Searches were conducted at various locations across the city. The FIR, a copy of which is in possession of TOI, said: “While studying about the practices of electioneering in view of the upcoming general elections in Andhra Pradesh, Reddy came across the use of certain mobile phone and tab-based software applications by the cadre of TDP, especially Seva Mitra app, for strengthening the party’s electoral prospects.”

The complainant browsed the website and official Facebook page of TDP where details of Seva Mitra app are available. In the FIR, police mentioned that, “The app was meant for people who were registered as TDP members. The government of AP utilised the services of Bluefrog Mobile Technologies Private Ltd, Visakhapatnam, in the implementation of government schemes and functions of AP.”

It further said: “During the course of executing works by Bluefrog, the firm was given access to enormous amount of official data in respect of the beneficiaries of various government schemes and also private data of individuals. This data included their demographic, geographic and other identification features such as name, age, gender, address, Aadhaar number etc.”

The FIR quoting Reddy said the data was used by IT Grids (India) Private Ltd, Hyderabad, in the mobile app developed in the name of Seva Mitra in violation of Supreme Court orders issued in the Justice KS Puttaswamy vs Union of India case. Further, no request was made by any political party for colour photographs of voters nor does the Election Commission have any record of having provided such data to any political party or individual for using it officially. “Through illegally acquired data, the above agencies have been making the identification, demographic, geographic and socio-economic data available to unauthorised people who are using the Seva Mitra app,” it said.

The complainant alleged that the firm was using the crucial data to analyse who were for and who against the TDP government. “Based on this, they have deleted lakhs of voters’ names from the electoral rolls. The names of these voters were very much in 2014 electoral rolls,” he said.