CM debunks opposition’s Sprinklr data leak theory

TNN | Apr 16, 2020, 04:25 IST

Thiruvananthapuram: Turning aggressively vocal against the opposition UDF’s allegations of serious lapses and secretive deal for selling sensitive data in the name of anti-Covid activities in state government’s agreement with US-based Sprinklr Inc, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that ‘such campaigns were not in favour of the state getting benefit from most modern analytics and data management tools’.
“The government is not being secretive, and the agreement has all the legal validity. The American company, run by a Malayali, has the best statistical analysis system (SAS) and all precautions have been taken against any possibility of data leak. This is an unnecessary discussion, which will destroy the unity in the state’s fight to contain spread of the virus,” the CM said.
The CM’s clarifications on the collection of data of Covid-19 suspects in the state came after the government published on its official portal all documents related to the agreement with the US firm. The documents included clarifications from Sprinklr on its privacy policy, the non-disclosure agreement and other clauses in the order form and the Master Services Agreement.
“The agreement expires on September 24 and there will be a pricing only if the contract is extended,” the CM said.
Among the documents published was the ‘affirmation letter’, sent by Dan Haley, the general counsel of Sprinklr via email on April 12, to ‘reaffirm mutual understanding of data rights and confidentiality obligations’ in the agreement. “Kerala retains all rights to and responsibility for customer data uploaded to or accessed by the Sprinklr platform,” the letter said.
Docus fabricated: Ramesh
Meanwhile, alleging that the ‘affirmation letters’ (sent on April 11 and 12) from Sprinklr were fabricated after he raised the issue on April 10, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said these letters have no legal validity. .