Our privacy and confidentiality are under threat from all sides
While cases are being filed against those who sent news broadcast on our channels to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, charges of violating the Official Secrets Act and espionage are being filed. However, no action is taken against the major players who facilitated the espionage.
1. Smartphones: Alexa, our question-answering device, not only listens to our conversations but also records them. Mobile companies and apps are profiting from user data, both legally and illegally. This data includes location, camera, microphone, call logs, photos, health data, chats, messages, and more. The profiles created based on this data are used to shape advertising and marketing strategies. 2. Prism: Under Operation Prism, US intelligence agencies illegally obtained over 6 billion pieces of Indian data from nine companies, including Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Skype. Despite Snowden’s revelations, the UPA government did not take action against the tech companies. The NDA government did ban Chinese apps that illegally harvested data, but no action is being taken against apps that engage in espionage under the guise of online gaming and loan apps.
3. Google: Ajmal Kasab had confessed to plotting the Mumbai terror attacks with the help of Google Earth. In many countries including America and China, there is a ban on showing 3-D view of sensitive buildings like nuclear installations. Former President Dr. Kalam, ISRO and Indian Army had described spying through 3-D view as a threat to security. Despite this, pictures of buildings and military bases related to national security can be seen in Google Earth. Now, with the permission given to satellite internet of Elon Musk’s company, there is a big threat to national security due to the possibility of spying in other border areas including the border with Myanmar.
4. Facebook: Meta’s three platforms, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, are engaging in data sharing and data mining, along with commercial use of the data. Facebook-affiliated Cambridge Analytica attempted to influence elections by spying on Indians. According to a lawsuit filed in a California court, WhatsApp was hacked for spying purposes using Israeli Pegasus software. The investigation committee formed after the Supreme Court’s intervention in that case was also supposed to report on cybersecurity issues. However, no action was taken against tech and telecom companies in that case either.
5. Government Apps: The mandate to make Sanchar Sathi mandatory to prevent cybercrime and mobile theft has been withdrawn. However, many government apps, such as Aarogya Setu, Digi Yatra, MyGov, m-Parivahan, m-Aadhaar, and RailOne, lack strict laws to prevent the misuse of sensitive data belonging to millions of Indians. There are also no concrete rules to prevent CCTV surveillance.
6. Regulation: Illegal listening to or recording of traditional telephone conversations was considered a major violation of the right to liberty and life. The Supreme Court’s strict guidelines in the PUCL case established the Home Secretary’s powers and responsibilities. However, despite the nine-judge Supreme Court decision in the Puttaswamy case, the Data Protection Act has remained unenforced for the past eight years.
The Reserve Bank has compiled 238 new master orders, removing redundant ones from 9,450 old circulars. Similarly, the government should initiate the publication of a digital code, in line with claims made about combating cybercrime and digital espionage.
Mobile companies and apps are profiting from user data. This data includes location, camera, microphone, call logs, photos, health data, chats, messages, etc., which then determines marketing strategies.
