[I. <<*Indian PM Narendra Modi's official mobile application has been criticised for sending personal user data to a third party without their consent.* A security researcher had tweeted that the app was sending personal user data to a third-party domain that was traced to a US company.>>
(Excerpted from sl. no. II. below.) II. <<The official mobile app of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, downloaded over five million times on Android alone, sent user data to a US-based company without consent, security researchers have found in claims that were verified by NDTV. Allegations against the Narendra Modi app, which have sparked a furore on social media and biting criticism from Congress President Rahul Gandhi, come at a time of heightened sensitivity around the alleged misuse of personal data amid the unfolding Facebook-Cambridge Analytica controversy. ... Alderson, who initially pointed out that the application, popularly known as NaMo app in India, was sharing data with a third party without the consent of users, earlier on Sunday posted a new tweet saying the app had "quietly" updated its privacy policy after his previous tweets. NDTV checked the claims, consulting experts and using a popular tool called Burp Suite. The findings showed that as a user kept entering personal information such as name, email address, gender and city, the data was being shared with the website in.wzrkt.com.>> (Excerpted from sl. no. I. below.) III. <<***Students enrolled in the National Cadet Corps (NCC) programme in the state are being asked to install the official app of Narendra Modi on their phones*** [emphasis added] ahead of a planned interaction with the prime minister in March. Schools and colleges, which are affiliated with the programme, started informing the students this week after receiving a directive from Mumbai-based ‘1 Maharashtra Naval Unit NCC’. The letter addressed to principals and associate NCC officers, who manage the cadets’ training, reads: “…***Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has desired a direct interaction with maximum cadets of NCC*** emphasis added]. This is feasible by downloading ‘Narendra Modi App’ in the cell phones of the cadets. Mid-March has been fixed for inviting the questions, queries and suggestions from the cadets via ‘Modi App’ directly to the PM (sic).” The missive, sent on February 26, ***asks schools and colleges to share, by Wednesday, a list of all NCC cadets, their mobile numbers and email addresses. In case, the cadets don’t have a phone, their parents’ numbers should be mentioned*** [emphasis added]. The nominal roll, as the list is called, will also include a “remarks column”. “This matter should be treated as very urgent,” the letter states.>> (Excerpted from: < https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/ten-hut-cadets-should-get-namo-app-schools-told/articleshow/63103092.cms >.) IV. <<It has now been discovered that to cover-up this issue, the privacy policy on PM Narendra Modi’s website has quietly been changed to accommodate for this lapse. A screenshot of the present policy can be seen below. ... Till a day before the exposé, the privacy policy on the website read as, “Your personal information and contact details shall remain confidential and shall not be used for any purpose other than our communication with you. The information shall not be provided to third parties in any manner whatsoever without your consent.” A screenshot of the same can be seen below.>> (Excerpted from: < https://www.altnews.in/after-namo-app-expose-privacy-policy-on-narendra-modis-website-makes-a-quiet-u-turn/ >. ***An excellent dissection of the Operation Cover-up***.)] I/II. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/narendra-modi-app-sends-user-data-to-us-firm-congress-app-too-says-bjp-1828578 Narendra Modi App Sends User Data To US Firm. Congress App Too, Says BJP The privacy policy of the Narendra Modi app was updated after criticism mounted on social media over the unauthorised use of user data. All India | Written by Sukirti Dwivedi | Updated: March 26, 2018 12:33 IST Narendra Modi App Sends User Data To US Firm. Congress App Too, Says BJP Click to Play The Narendra Modi app is promoted by the BJP as a one-stop channel for government achievements. NEW DELHI: HIGHLIGHTS Security researcher said app was sharing user data without consent NDTV verifies claim, finds data being sent to servers run by US firm Privacy policy of app updated, BJP says Congress app shares data too The official mobile app of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, downloaded over five million times on Android alone, sent user data to a US-based company without consent, security researchers have found in claims that were verified by NDTV. Allegations against the Narendra Modi app, which have sparked a furore on social media and biting criticism from Congress President Rahul Gandhi, come at a time of heightened sensitivity around the alleged misuse of personal data amid the unfolding Facebook-Cambridge Analytica controversy. The ruling BJP has denied the allegations and said the data was being used only for analytics to offer all users the "most contextual content". It also hit out at the Congress, saying the opposition party's app shared data with third parties without consent. It was a security researcher, who has previously highlighted vulnerabilities in India's national identity card project Aadhaar and who tweets under the pseudonym Elliot Alderson, who first posted a series of messages on Twitter on Saturday stating the Narendra Modi app was sending personal user data to a third-party domain that was traced to an American company. Alderson, who initially pointed out that the application, popularly known as NaMo app in India, was sharing data with a third party without the consent of users, earlier on Sunday posted a new tweet saying the app had "quietly" updated its privacy policy after his previous tweets. NDTV checked the claims, consulting experts and using a popular tool called Burp Suite. The findings showed that as a user kept entering personal information such as name, email address, gender and city, the data was being shared with the website in.wzrkt.com. narendra modi app data The email address "[email protected]" entered during registration was sent to in.wzrkt.com During the entire process of registration the user is never informed or asked permission for sending data to a third party - a procedure which is usually followed by most apps. NDTV found that the domain in.wzrkt.com belonged to a company called WizRocket Inc which is registered in California and the data is being sent to a server in Mumbai. WizRocket is a data analytics platform developed by a US-based company called CleverTap. narendra modi app us company The Narendra Modi app shares user with a server registered to WizRocket Inc. in California. CleverTap's website says it is as a mobile marketing platform that "visually builds and delivers omnichannel campaigns based on user behavior, location and lifecycle stage". The company was founded in 2013 by three Indians and has offices in several cities in USA and Indian offices are in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. The link, earlier pointed out by Alderson and fact-checking website AltNews, sponsored an attack by Rahul Gandhi who tweeted, "Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India's Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App, I give all your data to my friends in American companies. Ps. Thanks mainstream media, you're doing a great job of burying this critical story, as always." Stung by mounting criticism on social media, the BJP admitted that it was sharing information but that this was par for the course. The BJP's official Twitter handle tweeted, "Contrary to Rahul's lies , fact is that data is being used for only analytics using third party service, similar to Google Analytics. Analytics on the user data is done for offering the most contextual content." Amit Malviya, the chief of BJP's IT operations, also attacked Rahul Gandhi and Congress, alleging similar privacy and consent conflicts. 10h Amit Malviya ✔ @malviyamit Hi! My name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of India’s oldest political party. When you sign up for our official App, I give all your data to my friends in Singapore. pic.twitter.com/ceCTkod17D Amit Malviya ✔ @malviyamit Full marks to @INCIndia for stating upfront that they'll give your data to **practically anyone** - undisclosed vendors, unknown volunteers, even 'groups with similar causes'. In theft of all forms, Congress has never been discreet! pic.twitter.com/FCSIv6nPMn 8:13 AM - Mar 26, 2018 View image on Twitter 869 747 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy The Congress, however, countered the claim. Divya Spandana/Ramya ✔ @divyaspandana We don’t collect any personal data through the INC app. We discontinued it a long time ago. It was being used only for social media updates. We collect data for membership and this is through our website http://www.INC.in , this is encrypted. https://twitter.com/pranesh/status/978092007250788352 … 8:20 AM - Mar 26, 2018 991 625 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Experts say that data shared with political parties is prone to misuse. Srinivas Kodali, a cybersecurity expert said, "It can be misused by sharing with private companies like Cambridge Analytica which could build voter profiles of volunteers who are active through the Narendra Modi application." The BJP's response, however, did not appear to address the crucial issue of consent. The privacy policy for the NaMo app, posted on the website narendramodi.in, until yesterday, read, "Your personal information and contact details shall remain confidential and shall not be used for any purpose other than our communication with you. The information shall not be provided to third parties in any manner whatsoever without your consent." The backlash was also compounded by criticism over 13 lakh cadets of India's National Cadet Corps being asked to install the app and share phone numbers and email addresses with the Prime Minister's office. As the controversy swelled, that policy was changed to say, "The following information may be processed by third party services to offer you a better experience as stated above: name, email, mobile phone number, device information, location and network carrier." NDTV has contacted both the BJP IT cell as well as CleverTap for their responses and is yet to receive them. The story shall be updated once a response is received. II. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43538178 India PM Modi app sparks social media furore 5 hours ago Image copyrightNARENDRA MODI APP Indian PM Narendra Modi's official mobile application has been criticised for sending personal user data to a third party without their consent. A security researcher had tweeted that the app was sending personal user data to a third-party domain that was traced to a US company. Mr Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has denied the allegation. The party said the data was being used only for analytics to offer all users the "most contextual content". Narendra Modi app is 'like Tinder for good governance' Narendra Modi app: Humour and praise on Twitter The researcher, who tweets under the pseudonym Elliot Alderson, posted a series of tweets on Saturday stating Mr Modi's app was sending personal user data to a third party. Skip Twitter post by @fs0c131y View image on Twitter Elliot Alderson @fs0c131y 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 send without your consent to a third-party domain called http://in.wzrkt.com . 1:04 AM - Mar 24, 2018 5,323 6,572 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Report End of Twitter post by @fs0c131y Skip Twitter post 2 by @fs0c131y View image on Twitter Elliot Alderson @fs0c131y Replying to @fs0c131y After a quick search, this domain belongs to an American company called @CleverTap. According to their description, “#CleverTap is the next generation app engagement platform. It enables marketers to identify, engage and retain users and provides developers" 1:04 AM - Mar 24, 2018 560 619 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Report End of Twitter post 2 by @fs0c131y Skip Twitter post 3 by @fs0c131y Elliot Alderson @fs0c131y Replying to @fs0c131y .@narendramodi, I know privacy is not your thing but any thoughts about sharing the personal data of your users without their consent to a third-party company? 1:04 AM - Mar 24, 2018 2,045 1,589 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Report End of Twitter post 3 by @fs0c131y Rahul Gandhi, the chief of the the main opposition Congress party, took to Twitter on Sunday to criticise Mr Modi. Skip Twitter post by @RahulGandhi Rahul Gandhi ✔ @RahulGandhi Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India's Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App, I give all your data to my friends in American companies. Ps. Thanks mainstream media, you're doing a great job of burying this critical story, as always. http://www.jantakareporter.com/india/data-theft-allegations-reaches-pm-modis-doorstep-french-vigilante-hackers-stunning-revelation/177957/ … 10:54 AM - Mar 25, 2018 Data theft allegations reaches PM Modi’s doorstep, French vigilante hacker’s stunning revelation A French vigilante hacker has made a stunning revelation accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having compromised the personal data of millions of Indians, who had downloaded his personal mobile... jantakareporter.com 22.5K 15.5K people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Report End of Twitter post by @RahulGandhi The BJP responded swiftly, saying Mr Gandhi was trying to divert attention. Last week India's law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said there were "numerous reports" of the Congress party's connections with controversial data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. He asked Mr Gandhi to "explain" the company's role in his social media outreach. The opposition party has denied the charges. Cambridge Analytica is embroiled in a storm over claims it exploited the data of millions of Facebook users. Skip Twitter post by @BJP4India BJP ✔ @BJP4India Rahul Gandhi is in sublime form these days. After MRI & NCC, today he exposes his great knowledge about technology. He is so rattled by the Cambridge Analyitca expose that he daily tries to divert attention from it, yesterday it was the judiciary and today it is Namo App. 1:03 PM - Mar 25, 2018 2,302 1,199 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Report End of Twitter post by @BJP4India The party said the data from Mr Modi's app was being used for analytics: Skip Twitter post 2 by @BJP4India BJP ✔ @BJP4India This ensures that a user gets the best experience by showing content in his language & interests. A person who looks up agri-related info will get agri related content easily. A person from TN will get updates in Tamil and get an update about an important initiative about TN. 1:07 PM - Mar 25, 2018 1,442 656 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Report End of Twitter post 2 by @BJP4India The security researcher later posted a new tweet on Sunday saying Mr Modi's app had been "quietly" updated its privacy policy. Skip Twitter post 4 by @fs0c131y Elliot Alderson @fs0c131y After the NaMo #android app exposé yesterday, the privacy policy of @narendramodi has been change quietly. The cached version is accessible here http://web.archive.org/web/20180325053015/http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:37wMakar_CAJ:www.narendramodi.in/privacy-policy+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in … 3:29 PM - Mar 25, 2018 901 722 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Report End of Twitter post 4 by @fs0c131y Mr Modi launched his official app in 2015, adding another platform to his massive social media presence. He is among the five most popular politicians on Twitter with 41.4 million followers. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
