5 months ago
2
Sanchar Saathi app
The Department of Telecom’s surreptitiously-issued directive to manufacturers of mobile phones to preinstal the Sanchar Saathi app — loosely translated arsenic ‘communication companion — is concerning and troubling. The government’s clarification that its usage is voluntary has not enactment concerns to rest. The state to activate, deactivate and delete the app seems to person been announced arsenic an afterthought successful the aftermath of nationalist furore implicit the retrograde move. Why it is not near to mobile users to instal oregon not instal the app raises suspicions. It is important that the alleged cybersecurity app is state-owned. People are not rather convinced that the intent is not to forestall integer fraud and cybercrimes and guarantee integer security. As the substance pertains to a imaginable usurpation of the close to privateness enjoyed by a ample conception of the colonisation and the cons outweigh the pros, the authorities indispensable rotation backmost the ill-thought-out and contentious determination forthwith.
G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
The rollout of the app is reminiscent of the advent of Pegasus. By dint of the government’s stout denial and the deficiency of method proof, Pegasus flew nether the radar of nationalist scrutiny, but the spyware is astir apt retired determination still, doing its job. Sanchar Saathi is being labelled arsenic a disposable regulatory/anti-fraud tool. But the information is that idiosyncratic consent and autonomy are removed. It has privateness and surveillance risks. There is imaginable misuse of data, deficiency of transparency oregon safeguards, and an infringement connected cardinal rights. One has a consciousness of revisiting George Orwell’s novel, 1984.
R. Thomas Paul,
Bengaluru
The government’s determination whitethorn beryllium a decisive measurement against integer fraud, but its abrupt enforcement raises questions. While citizens undeniably request extortion from rising cybercrimes, information cannot go a ‘one-size-fits-all’ prescription. Many fearfulness that compulsory installation whitethorn gradually blur the enactment betwixt information and surveillance, which cannot beryllium brushed aside. India’s integer ecosystem is already fragile; adding different furniture without transparent safeguards whitethorn lone amplify nationalist distrust. What is needed is informed consent, wide data-use policies, and an accountability framework. Technology should empower people, not marque them consciousness that they are nether surveillance.
Mohammad Hasnain,
Muzaffarpur, Bihar
Name change
The unproductive measurement of changing the names of Raj Bhavans arsenic Lok Bhavans is not going to alteration the mindset of their occupants. Mere sanction alteration is not going to bring successful immoderate improvements successful the behaviour of Governors who behave arsenic if they are supra the Constitution and regularisation of law.
V. Padmanabhan,
Bengaluru
Parliament and business
The apical person said that the wintertime league ‘must not go a signifier for governmental theatrics’ but a level for constructive and result-driven statement (Inside pages, December 2). Quite true. But the occupation is 1 wonders whether the person follows what helium preaches. Does helium let treatment oregon statement connected issues specified arsenic the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, interior information lapses, challenges posed to India’s overseas argumentation and truthful on, arsenic demanded by the Opposition? Or, does his authorities walk the Bills aft treatment oregon debate? The apical person besides said that decision should not beryllium a crushed for disruption successful the House.
In the aforesaid vein, Parliament should not beryllium the spot for the ruling enactment to observe governmental victory. The apical person talks astir inclusiveness, but successful Parliament, this is missing.
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
Word of the year
Over the past decade, Oxford’s Word of the Year choices person shown an unmistakable displacement successful however integer habits signifier the mode we deliberation and behave. Seen against this pattern, ‘rage bait’, chosen for 2024, feels highly realistic. It reflects what galore of america acquisition daily. My ain consciousness is that the dispersed of rage bait says much astir our intelligence situation than astir the connection itself.
Vijay Singh Adhikari,
Nainital, Uttarakhand
