Parties pick flaws in other’s app
CONGRESS Calling for a policy on privacy, social media expert says, unlike BJP app, WITHINC never shared users’ info with a third party BJP Defending Namo app, he says the analytical tool merely studies user behaviour and surfing patterns; doesn’t have access to user data
NEWDELHI: A slanging match between the Congress and the BJP has erupted over the alleged data leak, with both political parties accusing each other of stealing and sharing personal details of individuals with companies based abroad. Congress’ social media department head Divya Spandana, also popular as Ramya, dismissed the claims that the party collected or shared personal data through the WithINC app. Excerpts: updates – Twitter, Facebook or whatever INC (Indian National Congress) and Rahul Gandhi was posting. In November, we got a brand new website and we got the membership pulled out from the app and transitioned that to the website, which is encrypted. The membership data was being collected only on the website and these data are being stored in our servers, Amazon Cloud Services, which is based out of Mumbai. The Namo app seeks 22 permissions. That is ridiculous. You don’t need that much. What are you doing with it? You are sending that data to an American company without the consent of the users. Of course, they have given you the permission but they haven’t given you the permission to share their data. That is the difference between them and us. Our app, our website, everything is made in-house. Our coders are in-house. The data are stored with us. We don’t have any third party entity involved and we are not sharing (the users’ information) with anybody. We explicitly tell the users not to share their passwords. How does the Prime Minister, in his individual capacity, have an application and using our data? The BJP has been caught lying. We have put them on the mat. They wanted to put the blame on us by claiming that we are engaged with Cambridge Analytica, which is rubbish and has backfired on them. Rahul Gandhi is raising pertinent questions to which the BJP has no answers.
If you are online today, it is very easy to track you. India should have a privacy policy. There should be something called consent. Look at the Aadhaar leaks or even leaks on Namo app. NEWDELHI: The BJP has rejected the Congress’s allegations that the Namo app shares user data with third-party vendors. Amit Malviya, who heads the party’s IT cell, told HT that safeguarding data lies at the core of its social media policy. Excerpts: Rahul Gandhi is a technology dinosaur. He said that connecting MRI machines will bring about a healthcare revolution. Tomorrow, Rahul Gandhi will tweet that the Namo app is connected to EVM machines, and EVM tampering happens through it. His charges are ridiculous, and not even in the realm of technology. The concerns expressed by the French analyst have been addressed. No data has been shared with any third-party vendor. People have downloaded the Namo app of their own volition. They can even access it in ‘guest mode’, without giving any permission or sharing data. He is factually incorrect. The Namo app is managed by the BJP, not the government. What is wrong if he has unprecedented popularity, and billions follow and interact with him through his app? No data has been shared with any third-party service. The analytical tool merely studies user behaviour and surfing patterns; it does not have access to user data. For instance, a person who looks up content related to agriculture will get agriculture-related content. Cambridge Analytica was using data surreptitiously; it was stealing user data under a pretext other than political. It manipulated the political understanding of the user, which is illegal and immoral. These are not mere allegations. They have been substantiated by screenshots of their website and apps that show how data is remitted and stored in Singapore. Their privacy policy is scary. When the Congress says they will share your data with like-minded groups, the implications are grave. It could be anybody from urban Maoists to Bharat Ke Tukde gang. There is no compulsion on the cadets to download the app. It is just the fastest and convenient way of connecting with the PM. Our code of conduct is well-defined and available for everybody to see on our website. Being a political party, we don’t dissuade people from joining and engaging. Whether you choose to comment or leave your data behind, we will ensure that it is protected. We have gone to the extent of saying that our vendors are bound by our code of conduct. For instance, if you make an online payment for our monthly journals or request membership, the vendor responsible for the gateway will have to adhere to the party’s code of conduct.