Meta onboards Kalaari Capital to scale early-stage startups in India

 Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta announced a partnership with VC fund Kalaari Capital to upskill and scale young, invested businesses in India by providing them with timely business skilling support.

Mark Zuckerberg‘s Meta (formerly Facebook) on Wednesday announced a partnership with VC fund Kalaari Capital to upskill and scale young, invested businesses in India by providing them with timely business skilling support. The partnership is a part of Meta’s ‘VC Brand Incubator Initiative’ for the growth of micro, small and medium businesses in the country.

“As part of this initiative, Meta has partnered with India’s largest VC funds. We are thrilled to now partner with Kalaari Capital that has been instrumental in the growth journey of many startups,” said Ajit Mohan, VP and MD at Meta in India. Kalaari Capital is an early-stage, technology-focused venture capital firm based in Bengaluru. “As startups scale, they need to leverage several tools and platforms like Meta to support their growth,” said Vani Kola, Founder and Managing Director, Kalaari Capital.

Elon Musk’s grand vision for Twitter faces reality check in Asian countries

 It’s not clear how Musk would reconcile his support for more free speech with strict government controls.

For all the furor about which way Elon Musk might tilt U.S. political discourse after getting the keys to Twitter Inc., his biggest challenges may emerge across the Pacific. Asia, home to more than half the world’s population, is Twitter’s biggest growth opportunity and arguably a far thornier challenge. If the Tesla Inc. and SpaceX billionaire makes good on promises to scrap censorship, he’ll encounter a plethora of perplexing regulations, wielded by sometimes authoritarian governments, pushed to the limits by a horde of first-time internet users.

The numbers alone suggest Musk’s biggest headaches lie abroad. Twitter’s monetizable daily active users numbered 179 million internationally — dwarfing the 38 million in the U.S. in 2021, according to its latest annual report. As a public company, Twitter has repeatedly emphasized it must abide by local regulations. Once it’s a private concern controlled by the world’s richest man, Musk will personally shoulder responsibility for navigating that thicket — and the fallout if he fails….Read More

Elon Musk discusses 'job cuts' at Twitter with bankers to boost bottom line

 CEO Agrawal had told employees that there would be “no layoffs at this time”. However, according to reports, one area where Musk may make job cuts is the company’s policy department

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, during discussions with banks, has reportedly planned to cut jobs at Twitter to improve its bottom line once he takes over. The Washington Post reported that Musk discussed making “efficiencies” at the micro-blogging platform in the conversations with bankers, “which could include job cuts.”

Twitter or its CEO Parag Agrawal have not commented on the reports. Agrawal had told employees that there would be “no layoffs at this time”. However, according to reports, one area where Musk may make job cuts is the company’s policy department. Musk’s displeasure was reflected in his criticism of Twitter’s policy head Vijaya Gadde this week, over censoring exclusive stories related to US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s laptop in the wake of the Capitol Hill violence….

Facebook loses daily users for first time ever, ad growth slows

 The Meta-owned Facebook platform registered 1.929 billion daily users in the fourth quarter of 2021 — from 1.93 billion in the previous quarter

For the first time ever, Facebook has lost daily users globally, reporting lower-than-expected ad growth that sent its stock plunging nearly 20 per cent. The massive stock drop instantly wiped out roughly $200 billion in its market value. The Meta-owned Facebook platform registered 1.929 billion daily users in the fourth quarter of 2021 — from 1.93 billion in the previous quarter. The company confirmed late on Wednesday that it is the first sequential decline in its history. Facebook’s monthly active users (MAUs) were 2.91 billion as of December 31, 2021, an increase of 4 per cent year-over-year. Meta still made nearly $40 billion in profit in 2021, mostly from advertising.

“We had a solid quarter as people turned to our products to stay connected and businesses continued to use our services to grow,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO. “I’m encouraged by the progress we made this past year in a number of important growth areas like Reels, commerce, and virtual reality, and we’ll continue investing in these and other key priorities in 2022 as we work towards building the metaverse,” he added.

'Bulli Bai' case: Mumbai Police makes 3rd arrest, Nepal link found

 The police said that they have arrested one 21-year-old Mayank Rawal and have also detected links to Nepal

The Mumbai Police probing ‘Bulli Bai‘ app have arrested the third accused behind the controversy. The police said that they have arrested one 21-year-old Mayank Rawal and have also detected links to Nepal. Earlier, the police had arrested one engineering student Vishal Kumar Jha and one Shweta Singh. According to the police, Shweta was the mastermind behind the controversy.

She was in touch with a handle, which is being operated from Nepal. On his instructions, she made a Twitter handle with the name of @jattkhalsa07 and started uploading photos of women of a particular religion. Her friend Giyou whom she met on social media was asking her to do all this. He is based in Nepal. The Mumbai Police has recorded the statement of Shweta Singh and Vishal Kumar Jha. Jha is on police remand till January 10 while Shweta’s remand will end on January 5.

Protest at Johnson’s residence against enforced disappearances in Baloch

The Free Balochistan Movement held a protest against Pakistan outside the official residence of UK PM Boris Johnson here on the occasion of International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

The Free Balochistan Movement on Sunday held a protest against Pakistan outside the official residence of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson here on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Several Baloch and other human rights activists joined the protest from different cities of the UK and expressed their support for the families of those who have been forcefully disappeared.

The protestors were carrying banners and raised slogans against Pakistan military’s atrocities against Baloch people. They demanded the immediate release of previously abducted Baloch people and stopping of more enforced disappearances.

They also urged the international community, including the UK, to stop supporting Pakistan as their support is allowing Pakistan to commit more crimes against humanity.The activists stated that thousands of innocent Baloch people have been arrested and later disappeared. Many of them have been killed in custody. They also strongly condemned the recent murder of Hayat Baloch, who was shot dead by Frontier Corps in front of his parents, in Turbat, Balochistan.

Several Baloch and other human rights activists joined the protest from different cities of the UK and expressed their support for the families of those who have been forcefully disappeared. The protestors were carrying banners and raised slogans against Pakistan military’s atrocities against Baloch people. They demanded the immediate release of previously abducted Baloch people and stopping of more enforced disappearances…Read More

Three shot inside Lexington mall, 1 killed, says Kentucky police

Three people were shot inside a Kentucky mall, and one of them was later pronounced dead, police said.

Three people were shot inside a Kentucky mall Sunday, and one of them was later pronounced dead, police said. The Lexington Police Department said in a post on social media that the shooting occurred around 4 p.m. outside of a store at the Fayette Mall. Police said later that the shooting did not appear to be random.

It appears from the information that we’ve gathered thus far that the persons involved knew each other, Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers told reporters. We know at least the intended target may have known the suspect. Officers evacuated the mall and checked each store. Three people were taken to a hospital, Weathers said.

Police spokeswoman Brenna Angel said in a statement Sunday night that a male victim died. His name was withheld pending notification of relatives. The conditions of the other two people who were shot were not immediately released. Neither Weathers nor Angel offered further details on the shooter. Police sought tips from the public to help in the investigation. Alicia Spurlock told the Lexington Herald-Leader that she and her daughter had just left a store inside the mall when they heard multiple gunshots. It took me a minute to register what that was, Spurlock said. Everybody just started running…Read More

Chingari to Trell: Desi apps upbeat after India's digital strike on China

While the Indian alternatives are seeing a huge surge in usage, experts believe that their dream run could be short-lived if the government decides to overturn the ban

The ban on TikTok is proving to be a ‘demonetisation moment’ for desi social apps like Chingari. Its co-founder Sumit Ghosh has had sleepless nights ever since the government banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok. He is trying to find ways to equip the app so that it can handle the unprecedented and sudden spike in traffic. Chingari is adding up to 600,000 users per hour, crossing a total user base of 7.5 million.

Ghosh said the app has a creation tool, which is as good as TikTok’s, hence a lot of influencers are moving to their platform. The idea behind starting Chingari, he says, is not to build a TikTok clone but to position itself as a super app for India like WeChat. “We just wanted to penetrate the market with short videos, which have already taken off in India. We are now working on live streaming and chat functions, which will be rolled out soon,” said Ghosh.

The app, which also has a news feature, is hoping to close a Series-A round of funding next week. Chingari has a reward point feature in which every time a content creator uploads a video, he earns points that can be encashed later through partner UPI platforms.

Experts say top content creators and influencers make between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per post on platforms like TikTok, and such influencers can have at least four deals a month. “In the short term, many (content creators) would have lost their livelihoods. Now they have realised and won’t keep all their eggs in one basket,” said Rahul Singh, chief executive and co-founder at Bengaluru-based influential marketing firm Winkl…Read More

Covid-19: Full refund if you booked air tickets from March 25 to April 14

Many have been complaining on social media as airlines have decided not to give refunds in cash for cancelled flights and are instead issuing credit for future travel.

The Civil Aviation Ministry on Thursday said the passengers who had booked flight tickets during the first phase of lockdown for travel up to May 3 must get a full refund from the airlines without any cancellation charges if they ask for it. Many have been complaining on social media as airlines have decided not to give refunds in cash for cancelled flights and are instead issuing credit for future travel.

Zoom not a safe platform, says MHA advisory

The Ministry of Home Affairs said in an advisory that video conferencing software Zoom is not a safe platform, and is not for use by government offices or officials. Earlier, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan had apologised for the company failing to fully implement its usual geo-fencing best practices, while assuring customers that there was no impact on Zoom for Government Cloud, a separate cloud service for government customers.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus outbreak: Why cities may not remain the same after lockdown

Maha tally crosses 3K-mark, 2,073 of these in Mumbai

As many as 286 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in Maharashtra, taking the tally beyond the 3,200-mark on Thursday, while the fatality count inched towards the 200-level with seven more deaths, most of them senior citizens, said a state health official. With the detection of fresh cases in the last 24 hours, Maharashtra has so far reported 3,202 coronavirus cases, the highest for a state in the country, while the death toll is now 194, he added…Read Full Story

J&K lifts ban on social media, access to 2G internet services till Mar 17

Earlier, only access to white-listed sites was allowed after the services were restored for a week on January 25 and subsequently extended from time to time.

Removing a ban on social media platforms, Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday allowed access to all sites on 2G mobile data services and fixed line internet in the Union Territory till March 17. Earlier, only access to white-listed sites was allowed after the services were restored for a week on January 25 and subsequently extended from time to time.

The internet facility was snapped across Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 last year, the day when Centre abrogated the special status to the erstwhile state and bifurcated it into two union territories. The fresh order was issued by Principal Secretary, Home, Shaleen Kabra after assessment of the impact of telecom services regulation on the overall security situation and maintenance of public order and reports of law enforcement agencies.

WhatsApp snooping: Whom did you meet, Chhattisgarh Police ask Israel’s NSO

In May, WhatsApp has said it became aware of NSO Group having used a coding glitch in the messaging app that let its customers spy on some people

The Chhattisgarh Police has written to the Israeli company behind the Pegasus spyware that was used, according to recent revelations, to snoop on around 1,400 individuals, including 121 Indians, by misusing a WhatsApp vulnerability.

In a letter to Shalev Hulio, a co-founder of NSO Group, which developed and sells Pegasus, the police have asked for information on the Israeli firm’s alleged meeting and presentation to senior police officers of the state in 2017. According to news reports, the presentation was made to senior IPS officers in Raipur during 2017 (when an earlier government was in place). People in the state were allegedly subject to the snooping enabled by Pegasus through WhatsApp.

In the letter dated November 5, according to sources, the state police has asked NSO Group about particulars of their visit to Raipur, who was in their team, whom they met in the state police and details of the meeting.

The department is also considering writing to WhatsApp.

In May, WhatsApp has said it became aware of NSO Group having used a coding glitch in the messaging app that let its customers spy on some people. WhatsApp fixed the issue, and worked with Citizen Lab, a digital and human rights research group, to contact all those affected, telling them what they could do to keep their communications safe. On October 29, WhatsApp decided to sue NSO Group for misusing the messaging platform’s code to compromise user privacy.

Amazon, Flipkart create over 140,000 temporary jobs ahead of festive sales

Amazon.in, in a statement on Tuesday, said it has created more than 90,000 seasonal employment opportunities. Similarly, Walmart-owned Flipkart has added over 50,000 direct jobs

E-commerce giant Amazon and Flipkart have created over 1.4 lakh temporary jobs across supply chain, last-mile connectivity and customer support in preparation for their festive sales that kicks off later this month.

Amazon.in, in a statement on Tuesday, said it has created more than 90,000 seasonal employment opportunities across its fulfilment centres, sortation centres, delivery stations, partner fulfilment network and customer service sites.

Similarly, Walmart-owned Flipkart has added over 50,000 direct jobs across its supply chain, logistics arm and customer support. It expects to have increased the indirect jobs through the seller network by 30 per cent over last year taking it to 6.5 lakh in the run up to its Big Billion Days sale, a Flipkart statement said.

Like in offline retail, e-commerce companies see a significant jump in sales during Dusshera and Diwali. The September-November period typically generates a majority of annual sales of these companies, which prepare months in advance for the sale events.

Amazon said it has created seasonal positions in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru , Ahmedabad and Pune, along with indirect opportunities through its fulfilment partner networks such as its trucking partners and packaging vendors...

Linking Aadhaar with social media or ending encryption is counterproductive

The need of the hour is sustained research and development of privacy protecting surveillance mechanisms

Should Aadhaar be used as KYC for social media accounts? We have recently seen a debate on this question with even the courts hearing arguments in favour and against such a move. The case began in Madras High Court and later Facebook moved the SC seeking transfer of the petition to the Apex court. The original petition was filed in July, 2018 and sought linking of Aadhaar numbers with user accounts to further traceability of messages.

Before we try and answer this question, we need to first understand the differences between the different types of data on social media and messaging platforms. If a crime happens on an end to end cryptographically secure channel like WhatsApp the police may request the following from the provider to help solve the case:

1.Identity data: Phone numbers of the accused. Names and addresses of the accused.

2.Metadata: Sender, receiver(s), time, size of message, flag identifying a forwarded messages, delivery status, read status, etc.

3.Payload Data: Actual content of the text and multimedia messages.

Different countries have taken different approaches to solving different layers of the surveillance problem. Let us start with identity data. Some like India require KYC for sale of SIM cards while others like the UK allow anonymous purchases.  Corporations also have policies when it comes to anonymous speech on their platforms – Facebook for instance enforces a soft real ID policy while Twitter does not crack down on anonymous speech….

Keep Reading : Linking Aadhar with social media

Millions of dollars a year for content: Facebook’s offer to news outlets

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Facebook representatives had told news executives that they’d pay as much as $ 3 million a year to license stories, headlines and other material

International News: Facebook is reportedly in talks with news publishers to offer “millions of dollars” for the rights to publish their material on its site. The move follows years of criticism over its growing monopolization of online advertising to the detriment of the struggling news industry.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Facebook representatives had told news executives that they’d pay as much as $ 3 million a year to license stories, headlines and other material. Facebook declined to comment but confirmed that the company is working on launching a “news tab” for its service this fall. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg began talking about a news section on the service in April.

A person familiar with the matter confirmed that Facebook has approached News Corp. about paying to license Wall Street Journal stories. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. The Journal report was not clear as to whether Facebook was offering $ 3 million to individual publishers or in total to all news organizations….

Pakistani blogger and journalist known for criticising army hacked to death

Muhammad Bilal Khan, having over 16,000 followers on Twitter, 48,000 on his YouTube channel and 22,000 on Facebook, was with a friend when the incident took place

A 22-year-old Pakistani blogger and journalist known for criticising the country’s powerful military and the spy agency ISI was hacked to death by an unidentified man here, police said on Monday. 

Muhammad Bilal Khan, having over 16,000 followers on Twitter, 48,000 on his YouTube channel and 22,000 on Facebook, was with a friend when he received a phone call after which a man took him to the nearby forest on Sunday night, Dawn news quoted police as saying.

The suspect used a dagger to kill him, Superintendent of Police (SP) Saddar Malik Naeem said, adding that some people heard gunshot firing as well. Khan’s friend was seriously injured in the incident. Apart from being a social media activist, Muhammad Bilal Khan was also a freelance journalist. Soon after his killing, #Justice4MuhammadBilalKhan srtarted trending on social media.

Several Twitter users said that his criticism of the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) led to his killing. “Pakistani activist and journalist Mohammad Bilal Khan was shot dead last night in Islamabad. Khan was known for his criticism of the all-powerful military and its notorious spy agency,” a man said in a tweet.

The deceased’s father Abdullah said that his body had marks of a sharp tool. “My son’s only fault was that he spoke about the Prophet,” he said. A case was registered under various sections including the Anti Terrorism Act. The incident has created fear among people, Khan’s father said.

Sadhvi Pragya: From impact charged to Digvijaya Singh’s rival in Bhopal

Pragya has a place with Bhind region of Madhya Pradesh where her dad was an ayurvedic specialist. Her dad who additionally was an individual from RSS and that conveyed her near conservative belief system

Elections 2019: Following a month of dawdling, the BJP has chosen to field Pragya Singh Thakur, otherwise known as Sadhvi Pragya, from the prominent Bhopal Lok Sabha voting public. She will take on Congress veteran and previous Madhya Pradesh boss clergyman Digvijaya Singh.

In any case, she was not the conspicuous decision for the gathering. First Uma Bharati and afterward Shivraj Singh Chouhan proclaimed that they won’t challenge from Bhopal. The gathering was in a problem when Pragya Singh Thakur’s name surfaced. Thakur gloated on Wednesday, “Murmur Yeh Dharmyuddh jeetenge (We will win this campaign).”

Thakur came into the spotlight in 2008 when she was captured for her supposed contribution in the Malegaon impacts. She was secured after an uncommon court had encircled charges against Sadhvi Pragya, Lieutenant-Colonel Prasad Purohit and five others for dread exercises, criminal intrigue, and murders.

Thakur has a place with Bhind locale of MP where her dad was an ayurvedic specialist. Her dad who additionally was an individual from the RSS and that conveyed her near conservative belief system in all respects right off the bat in her life.

A tomboyish Thakur cherished wearing pants shirts and riding motorbikes. She was a functioning individual from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) amid her school days. She was additionally connected with Durga Vahini. Thakur finished her lords ever. She was before long seen for her searing disposition and fiery discourses. In 2002 she likewise shaped an association, which as per her, used to ‘salvage’ young ladies who ran off with young men of different networks…

Facebook and Twitter are getting sucked into India-Pak information battle

With a combined population of 1.5 billion, India and Pakistan are hot growth markets for Facebook and Twitter

Current Affairs: Pakistani online networking campaigner Hanzala Tayyab leads around 300 ultra-patriot digital warriors battling a web war with curve enemy India, in a fight that is progressively sucking in worldwide tech mammoths, for example, Twitter and Facebook. Tayyab, 24, goes through his days on Facebook and encoded WhatsApp chatrooms sorting out individuals from his Pakistan Cyber Force gathering to advance enemies of India substance and influence it to circulate around the web, including on Twitter where he has in excess of 50,000 supporters.

That ranges from featuring claimed Indian human rights maltreatment to lionizing radicals engaging Indian security powers in Kashmir, a questioned Himalayan district at the core of notable pressures among Pakistan and India. Pakistani web based life campaigner Hanzala Tayyab leads around 300 ultra-patriot digital warriors battling a web war with curve enemy India, in a fight that is progressively sucking in worldwide tech monsters, for example, Twitter and Facebook.

Tayyab, 24, goes through his days on Facebook and scrambled WhatsApp chatrooms sorting out individuals from his Pakistan Cyber Force gathering to advance enemies of India substance and influence it to become a web sensation, including on Twitter where he has in excess of 50,000 adherents. That ranges from featuring affirmed Indian human rights maltreatment to lionizing agitators doing combating Indian security powers in Kashmir, a debated Himalayan district at the core of notable pressures among Pakistan and India.

Tayyab’s activity wound up more diligently on Monday when the Pakistan Cyber Force’s Facebook account was brought down, one of 103 Pakistani records the online networking goliath said it had erased as a result of “inauthentic conduct” and spamming. Some Indian patriot accounts have likewise been suspended as of late.

Fake news crackdown: Modi govt wants WhatsApp, Facebook to be responsible

The government is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people

The government has said it expects popular social media applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook, which have large user bases in the country, to be responsible.

In a bid to check the spread of fake news through social media and messaging platforms — leading to mob lynching in some cases — the government is exploring the possibility of blocking WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram. The government is also trying to curb child abuse and pornography spread through these platforms.

Whatsapp Fake News

The government has already issued notices on WhatsApp to keep a check on content. But, it is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people.

Sources said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had expressed concerns about Telegram to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Based on the letter from MeitY, DoT had asked the telecom and internet service providers to provide inputs about blocking mobile apps.

Asked about the blocking of mobile apps, Information Technology (IT) Secretary Ajay P Sawhney said, “We are always in touch, and anytime we have a concern we flag it. We expect all platforms to behave in a responsible manner, especially those with a large user base.” He, however, said whenever the need arises, the government acts according to the IT Act in order to remove contentious conten – Source : BS

How this cop is saving lives by fighting fake news spread on Whatsapp

With an election due in 2019, some worry a surge of fake, politicised messages could lead to more violence, stoking broader Hindu-Muslim tensions and sparking religious riots

 

Local musicians are already singing about the evils of fake news when police superintendent Rema Rajeshwari’s convoy rolls up to the dusty village square in one of India’s poorest communities. “Don’t believe these things,” a performer cries out to the crowd.

In a dark blue cap and stiff khaki uniform, Rajeshwari climbs onto a makeshift stage in front of hundreds of villagers. She’s there to try and stop the spread of bogus WhatsApp messages in her district that warn of child kidnappers and roving murderers.

Across India, social media rumors have caused rural villagers to patrol in anxious groups on the look-out for anyone they don’t recognize. These mobs have already killed numerous people. In May and June alone, at least six people died in WhatsApp-related mob attacks in eastern Assam, western Maharashtra and southern Tamil Nadu. There’s also simmering tensions over Hindu vigilante groups who’ve targeted and killed Muslims.a

“You see these messages, these photos and videos, but you don’t check if they’re real or fake, you just forward them,” Rajeshwari tells them. “Don’t spread these messages. And when strangers come to your village, don’t take the law into your hands. Don’t kill them.”

With an election due in 2019, some worry a surge of fake, politicized messages could lead to more violence, stoking broader Hindu-Muslim tensions and sparking religious riots. The stakes are already high — Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is facing declining support, while opposition parties are planning to combine forces to take him on. Rajeshwari said she saw a spike in messages around recent state elections in the neighboring state of Karnataka, and fears more ahead of national polls.

But something surprising is happening here. Rajeshwari’s education campaign seems to be working. There’s been no fake news-related deaths in more than 400 villages under her control in the southern state of Telangana. At a time when governments around the world are grappling with fake news, Rajeshwari’s efforts offer a local antidote to a global phenomenon.

‘Violent Outcomes’

While U.S. President Donald Trump and others use the term “fake news” to discredit negatives stories, false messages are sowing chaos in India’s villages through Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp messaging service, which has more users in India than any other country.

WhatsApp spokesman Carl Woog said some use the messaging service to spread “harmful misinformation,” but added the company is trying to make that more difficult ahead of India’s next election.

“We’re working to give people more control over group discussions and are constantly evolving our tools to block unwanted automated content,” said Woog, who is based in San Francisco. “In the run up to next year’s elections we will step up our education efforts so that people know about our safety features and how to spot fake news and hoaxes.”

These bogus messages can be particularly dangerous in India, said Michael Kugelman, a senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.

“This is a country where the tendency of nefarious actors to use social media to exploit deeply held societal prejudices increases the likelihood of violent outcomes,” Kugelman said. “The possibility of politicians trying to smear their opponents via WhatsApp rumors could lead to all types of nastiness and raises the specter of political violence.”

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UIDAI begins probe on breach of Aadhaar database, initiates FIR

UIDAI says Aadhaar not a secret number and biometric data was not leaked

 

 

The Unique Identification Authority of India has begun investigations into a report that claimed access to its database of identity details of more than a billion citizens was being sold for just Rs 500 on social media.

The report in The Tribune had said the paper was able to buy login credentials to the Aadhaar database, allowing it to access information such as the names, telephone numbers and addresses of millions of people. The paper said it bought access from someone on a WhatsApp group.

The authority said the case appeared to be an instance of misuse of the grievance redress search facility. “Legal action, including lodging of FIR against the persons involved in the case, is being pursued,” the UIDAI said, while ensuring there had not been any breach of the biometric database.

“The Aadhaar number is not a secret number. It is to be shared with authorised agencies whenever an Aadhaar-holder wishes to avail of certain services. But that does not mean that the proper use of the Aadhaar number poses a security or financial threat,” it said....