You can soon track your stolen phone, govt set to roll out IMEI database

According to TRAI data, India had 1.16 billion wireless subscribers as of March 2019

You will soon be able to track your stolen mobile phone as the government is all set to roll out a database of IMEIs, the 15-digit numbers that uniquely identify each mobile device. With conmen gaining expertise in tampering with IMEI codes, purportedly through imported applications and IMEI crackers, the Telecom Ministry is all set to implement Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) which will comprise the database of IMEIs.

After the rollout of CEIR, telecom consumers, who have lost their phones, would be able to inform the Department of Telecom (DoT) through a helpline number after filing a police report. Following this, the DoT will blacklist that particular IMEI number of the lost or stolen device by blocking that mobile device from accessing any cellular network in the future. Apart from this, CEIR will focus on facilitating ‘IMEI-based lawful interception’, says a report in the Indian Express.

According to TRAI data, India had 1.16 billion wireless subscribers as of March 2019. DoT had declared its plan to implement this project in July 2017 and a pilot was conducted in Maharashtra, reported the Indian Express. The concept of a central identity register was backed by the GSM Association (GSMA), an organisation representing mobile operators, equipment manufacturers, software and internet companies, among other stakeholders in the telecom sector.

What is IMEI number?

Every mobile phone comes with an IMEI number. Known as International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, IMEI number is used to identify a device. If a phone is stolen, you can call your network provider and ask them to blacklist the device with the IMEI number. This process will make the device unusable for the thief (if stolen) even if the SIM is changed on the phone.

IMEI is an all-inclusive piece of code that has a lot of information including the country of manufacturing, manufacturer, and model number. It is important that we should never share our phone’s IMEI number publicly.

Here’s how cellphone radiation is affecting your health

Mobile phone radiation may affect memory performance in adolescents, according to a new study.

Cellphone Rediation -The rapid evolution of information and communication technologies (ICT) goes along with an increase in exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in our daily life.

The most relevant exposure source to the brain is the use of a mobile phone close to the head.

-Media usage and brain exposure in young adults

The study found that cumulative RF-EMF brain exposure from mobile phone use over one year may have a negative effect on the development of figural memory performance in adolescents, confirming prior results published in 2015. Figural memory is mainly located in the right brain hemisphere and association with RF-EMF was more pronounced in adolescents using the mobile phone on the right side of the head.

“This may suggest that indeed RF-EMF absorbed by the brain is responsible for the observed associations.” said Martin Roosli.

Other aspects of wireless communication use, such as sending text messages, playing games or browsing the Internet cause only marginal RF-EMF exposure to the brain and were not associated with the development of memory performance.

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“A unique feature of this study is the use of objectively collected mobile phone user data from mobile phone operators.” said Roosli. He emphasised that further research is needed to rule out the influence of other factors.

“For instance, the study results could have been affected by puberty, which affects both mobile phone use and the participant’s cognitive and behavioural state.”

The data gathered from the Health Effects Related to Mobile phone usE in adolescentS (HERMES) cohort looked at the relationship between exposure to RF-EMF and development of memory performance of almost 700 adolescents over the course of one year. Participants, aged 12 to 17 years, were recruited from 7th to 9th public school grades in urban and rural areas of Swiss-German speaking Switzerland.

-Minimising the risk of RF-EMF exposure

The potential effect of RF-EMF exposure to the brain is a relatively new field of scientific inquiry. “It is not yet clear how RF-EMF could potentially affect brain processes or how relevant our findings are in the long-term.” said Roosli.

“Potential risks to the brain can be minimised by using headphones or the loud speaker while calling, in particular when network quality is low and the mobile phone is functioning at maximum power.”(NEWS SOURCE : BS)

Malaria tests now in 10 secs at Rs 10: All you need to know about this kit

Testing system has accuracy of 90%; can also be developed for other diseases, including dengue

A mobile phone mounted with a super-cheap paper microscope can detect the presence of malarial parasites in the blood in 10 seconds, says an Indian researchers' team, which has developed a system that archives data and maps the real-time distribution of the disease in a particular locality. 

Dubbed "Centaur", the framework for detection, monitoring and mitigation of the deadly disease has been created by Nilanjan Daw, Debapriya Paul and Nilanjana Dutta Roy from Institute of Engineering and Management, in collaboration with Arindam Biswas of IIEST, Shibpur.(health news)

It aims to eradicate human error, enhance diagnosis in remote areas and enable treatment as fast as possible.

Here are 10 key highlights of how the device works:

Every patient will incur a cost of only Rs 10 for each test against a drop of blood taken from the tip of his finger.

The remote testing facility will give results within 10-12 seconds and provide a hard copy of the report and the case details are archived for future reference.The testing system has an accuracy of 90 per cent. The algorithm can also be developed for other diseases, including dengue.

 The set-up uses a paper microscope, also known as 'foldscope', which is an optical microscope that can be assembled from simple components, including paper and lens.

 When you adjust the camera a little, Foldscope, with the help of a mobile camera, clicks a magnified image (enabled by the microscope) of the blood sample and that image is stored by the camera.....READ MORE