Narendra Modi app does not seek blanket permissions for users' data: BJP

NEW DELHI: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supplying to American companies data on Indians who had signed up for his NAMO app continuing his attack on the saffron camp since the Centre accused him of engaging controversial data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica a charge categorically denied by the opposition party. Setting off another round of political sparring Rahul Gandhi tweeted Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India s PM. When you sign up for my official app I give all your data to my friends in American companies. The tweet tagged a web report which stated that a French cyber expert has claimed that personal data of subscribers to Namo app was automatically sent to a third-party domain without consent. Rahul has been tweeting incessantly since law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged at a press conference that Congress had engaged controversial data mining firm CA. Prasad cited media reports to ask Congress if it would manipulate data to win the 2019 polls. The CA is at the centre of a storm for illegally harvesting Facebook data. While Congress roundly dismissed the allegations and asserted it had never hired the services of CA Rahul called Prasad s allegations as a ploy to divert popular attention from death of 39 Indians in Iraq which triggered off biting criticism of the Modi government. The row took a new turn when the India partner of CA alleged that the company may have tried to infiltrate and sabotage Congress in 2012. Rahul alleged the Congress-CA links were manufactured by BJP to bury the revelation. An angry AICC chief accused minister Prasad of lying for PM Modi as Goebbels did for Hitler. BJP: Rahul has no knowledge of technology In a series of tweets BJP countered Rahul Gandhi s twitter jibe at NaMo app saying it shows that the Congress President and his party colleagues have zero knowledge of technology and even accused the opposition party of taking help of data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica for electoral contests. Rahul Gandhi truly shows why he and his party have zero knowledge of technology. All they can do is scare the masse https://t.co/CwDuZ8ofHW BJP (@BJP4India) 1521963237000 Party said that Gandhi is no match for Narendra Modi and his fright about the NaMo app is very amusing. When his bots tried to trend #DeleteNamoApp day before yesterday (Friday) the popularity and downloads of NaMo app only increased. Today it will be no different! All they can do is scare the masses about technology while they continue to steal data using his Brahmastra of Cambridge Analytica the party said reiterating its allegations that Congress used stolen data from Facebook during the recent polls. Responding to the charges that NaMo app was sharing users data the party said contrary to Gandhi s lies data are being used for only analytics using third party service similar to Google Analytics. Analytics on the user data is done for offering users the most contextual content it said. We all know that Rahul Gandhi is no match for Narendra Modi. But seeing his fright about the Namo App is very amus https://t.co/4ypbU02vDe BJP (@BJP4India) 1521963305000 BJP clarified that this ensures that a user gets the best experience by showing content in his language and 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. BJP also highlighted Rahul s candid admission during an interaction in Karnataka that he was unaware of NCC. 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 (Saturday) it was the judiciary and today (Sunday) it is Namo App BJP said. BJP said Rahul should download the NaMo App to keep himself abreast with the good things happening in India. NEW DELHI: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of leaking details of his official mobile app users to US firms. 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 Gandhi tweeted. Gandhi was referring to a media report in which a French vigilante hacker in a series of tweets alleged that the personal data including email IDs photos gender and names of the users of Modi s mobile app were being sent to a third party domain without their consent. Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India s Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App I give all your da https://t.co/tqWIPpRoJF— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) 1521955478000 The Congress President also accused the mainstream media of burying this critical story as always . Gandhi s remarks came days after the BJP accused the Congress of compromising national security by roping in political data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica to run its 2019 election campaign. The firm is allegedly involved in social media data manipulation. Govt Sources on NaMo App controversy: Narendra Modi App provides a platform for millions of his fans and party cadre to connect directly with the Prime Minister. It is a one of its kind app which enables unprecedented engagement and interactivity. It is way different from the standard one-way flow apps belonging to political leaders and parties posses. It has numerous features which comprise the best of features from social media networks like Twitter Facebook LinkedIn etc.Users can create their own profiles earn points and win special awards for their activity levels. Users can also connect with MPs MLAs of their constituency and interact with them.The app also acts a work-flow management platform for lakhs of party workers. Even a booth worker can connect to the Party President & the PM through the NM App s New India Connect section. Tasks in the party now flow from top to bottom through the App which enables instant results and prompt reporting of status. Narendra Modi App has enabled numerous path-breaking engagements between people across the country and the Prime Minister. There is an exam warriors module where students from across the country are forming a community and also writing to the PM. For the Swachh Bharat Campaign people shared photos of their cleanliness activities. During the Gujarat elections PM Modi had a live video interaction with Mahila Morcha workers across Gujarat through the Narendra Modi App.Narendra Modi App is a unique App which unlike most Apps gives access to users in guest mode without even any permission or data. The permissions required are all contextual and cause-specific. For example a selfie campaign requires access to the camera and/or photo gallery. Contact access is required to connect with friends or fellow party workers on the New India connect module. If a person has entered his email address and date of birth he receives a personalised birthday greeting from the PM. Each function asks for the specific permission when access is required. The app does not ask for blanket permissions when the app is started.The data exposed by the French Twitter user is the data entered by the user on his own device. This is not a security breach. The person does not have access to any data apart from his own data.Data is being used for analytics using third party service similar to Google Analytics. The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services. Analytics and processing on the user data is done for offering users the most contextual content. This ensures that a user gets the best possible experience by show content in his/her own language. It also enables a unique personalized experience according to a person s interests. For example a person who looks up content related to agriculture will get agriculture related content prominently. A person from Tamil Nadu will get notifications in Tamil and get an update when the PM is in Tamil Nadu. Written by Tavleen Singh | Updated: March 25 2018 8:05 pm Instead of learning from the mistakes that brought it to its lowest point the Congress appears to believe that we must allow it one more chance to give us more of the same. The obituary of Narendra Modi is being written in political columns across the land and with uncontained glee in the drawing rooms of Delhi. Everyone agrees that the chances of his becoming Prime Minister again in 2019 have diminished in recent days. So it is important to examine what we could get instead. This is why I paid closer attention than usual to the economic and political resolutions passed by the Congress party s 84th Plenary Session; the first such plenary since Rahul Gandhi became president of the party of India s freedom movement. Reading these two resolutions made me very gloomy about India s future. Instead of learning from the mistakes that brought it to its lowest point the Congress appears to believe that we must allow it one more chance to give us more of the same.Top NewsException makes the ruleLiberal really?Hinduism for Hindutva At the helm naturally will be a member of the Dynasty that turned our oldest political party into a family firm. And there will be no change at all either in its political or economic ideas. Politically what this means is that the Congress will form alliances with any party that is not the BJP and therefore automatically secular . Economically there will be the same old mixed bag of tired platitudes and failed ideas. The economic resolution is a little scarier than the political because the most important political problem in India is the economy and it was its stagnant growth in Sonia-Manmohan s second term that made an aspirational impatient electorate want parivartan and vikas . You would think then that the Congress party s supposedly brilliant economic thinkers would have come up with some new ideas in the past four years. Right? Nothing of the sort. The economic resolution asserts clearly that the economy was managed excellently till 2014 and has been ruined only by bad managers in the past four years. Seriously? Sift through the dreary jargon of the new Congress party that its new president promises to create and you come up with not a single new idea. So the policies that caused millions of Indians to remain mired in poverty illiteracy and misery will continue. Instead of investment in better schools healthcare and rural services that could create millions of new jobs there will be the usual waiving of farmers loans and muddle-headed leaky welfare programmes. It is important to remember exactly what this means. After decades of socialist secular Congress rule in 2014 every other Indian child was malnourished 58 per cent of the population lived on less than 3.10 a day and about 170 million Indians lived below the poverty line of 1.90. Children whose parents were too poor to send them to private schools were forced to go to government schools so awful that if they could count to 100 and write their names by the time they finished school they would be counted as literate. Healthcare standards in nearly all of rural India were abysmal so most Indians were forced to use the services of dodgy private doctors if they wanted to survive an illness. Unsurprisingly when candidate Narendra Modi came along and started talking about how India had no reason to be a poor country and how we should aspire to doing more than just alleviating poverty his words had resonance. He started saying these things in a series of speeches he made in 2013 and because by then television had reached deep into the rural hinterland people were able to both see and hear him and they liked what they saw and heard. That year I remember in particular a tour of rural Rajasthan in which when I asked people who they were going to vote for they said Modi . When I pointed out that he was the chief minister of Gujarat they said they knew this but they wanted to make sure that he became prime minister. When I asked why they said We have seen his speeches on television and we like what he is saying. Let me remind you that not in one of those speeches did he say anything about Hindutva. His message was entirely about change and development and making India a strong and prosperous country and it was this that voters wanted to hear. If he had concentrated on changing India s economic direction as he promised we would have seen jobs being created today in the private sector and in a whole new range of services even in remote rural parts. He chose instead to continue with the statist socialist policies that the Congress followed and had kept India poor. And when this came with cow vigilantes running wild and Muslims and Dalits being killed brutally on suspicion of slaughtering cows it was this violence that came to define Modi s tenure in office. So if his obituary is being written by even those who supported him he has himself to blame. Follow Tavleen Singh on Twitter @ tavleen_singh For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App More From Tavleen Singh Fifth column: Alarm bells start to ring The lesson for Modi is that he must stop pretending that achche din (good times) are already here. They are not. .. Fifth Column: The past is still with us If the Modi government has set up a committee to examine ancient India it is to be welcomed. But we must hope that there are Fifth Column: Hankering for political power Only recently did Rahul Gandhi admit publicly that he needed to speak with respect when he spoke of Narendra Modi because he was Prime Minister Narendra BumbMar 26 2018 at 9:44 amHa ha ! Tavleen seems to be too impatient to write obituary for Modi Government. Fact is that people are writting it for the Ghandy dynasty!(0)(0) Reply MMahenMar 26 2018 at 6:34 amTavleen U R Right !! Lets have RAUL VINNCY ( RAHUL FAKE GHANDHI ) controlled by a former waitress in a London Restaurant EDVIGE MAINO (ANOTHER FAKE GHANDHI) as pm and P Chidambaram as Finance Minister and lets continue with KiNGS OF CORRUPTION- CONGRESS for more corruption in ion black money health poor roads poor town planning poverty poor standard of living communalism and what not) in the country is the gift of Congress governance for 60 years. Lets continue with Congis LOOTING OF OUR COUNTRY MORE POOR MORE SWISS ACCOUNTS With CORRUPTION KINGS CONGRESS Lets have more BOFORS more 2G/3G CWG more AUGUSTA Helicopters more Karti Chidambarams MORE INSULT TO HINDUS CALLING THEM TERORISTS After 60 years of Congress rule in independent India 1/3rd of World s poor people population is in India as per a UN report(0)(0) Reply SSahib SinghMar 26 2018 at 3:02 amMr. Modi s chances will only be diminished if the EVMs are dealt with else BJP will sweep the elections. They have an army of hackers ready to do their dirty deed and steal the elections. Don t kid yourself BJP s philosophy is End Justifies the Means . They will do whatever it takes and whatever they need to do to win unless their trump card is checked and that is these very hackable EVMs. They can and will also bring the Ram Temple Issue. They can and will have the riots like those that happened in Gujarat and Muzzafer Nager if they are behind in the polls. They can and will even start a WAR with Pakistan if they feel that they have to do it to win. Whatever they feel they need to do to win they will do. You are dealing with a very nasty bunch here not much diffe than the blight on the face of India late Ms. Indira Gandhi.(3)(8) ReplyMMahenMar 26 2018 at 6:24 amU R Right !! Lets have RAUL VINNCY ( RAHUL FAKE GHANDHI ) controlled by a former waitress in a London Restaurant EDVIGE MAINO (ANOTHER FAKE GHANDHI) as pm and lets continue with KiNGS OF CORRUPTION- CONGRESS for more corruption in ion black money health poor roads poor town planning poverty poor standard of living communalism and what not) in the country is the gift of Congress governance for 60 years. Lets continue with Congis LOOTING OF OUR COUNTRY MORE POOR MORE SWISS ACCOUNTS With CORRUPTION KINGS CONGRESS Lets have more BOFORS more 2G/3G CWG more AUGUSTA Helicopters more Karti Chidambarams MORE INSULT TO HINDUS CALLING THEM TERORISTS After 60 years of Congress rule in independent India 1/3rd of World s poor people population is in India as per a UN report(0)(1) ReplyMMahenMar 26 2018 at 6:29 amU R Right !! Lets have RAUL VINNCY ( RAHUL FAKE GHANDHI ) controlled by a former waitress in a London Restaurant EDVIGE MAINO (ANOTHER FAKE GHANDHI) as pm and P Chidambaram as Finance Minister and lets continue with KiNGS OF CORRUPTION- CONGRESS for more corruption in ion black money health poor roads poor town planning poverty poor standard of living communalism and what not) in the country is the gift of Congress governance for 60 years. Lets continue with Congis LOOTING OF OUR COUNTRY MORE POOR MORE SWISS ACCOUNTS With CORRUPTION KINGS CONGRESS Lets have more BOFORS more 2G/3G CWG more AUGUSTA Helicopters more Karti Chidambarams MORE INSULT TO HINDUS CALLING THEM TERORISTS After 60 years of Congress rule in independent India 1/3rd of World s poor people population is in India as per a UN report(0)(1) Reply RrishiMar 26 2018 at 1:15 amHonestly speaking.....2019 elections are NOT NEEDED......what is needed is RSS-BJP-Led-NDA s uninterrupted visionary national pursuit of uplifting our millions of hardworking and honest young women and men in search of clean and honest livelihoods .....and a continued cleansing the Nation of whatever leftover cancerous traces of the ancient-corrupt-colonial congress which is almost fatally-wounded having outlived the generosity extended to it by this Nation which continued to suffer as a colony for those six-plus decades of of the most destructive colonial-legacy congress that drifted into this Nation with all its nuisance value !(25)(11) ReplyRrishiMar 26 2018 at 1:19 amtill Modi came and busted them all in one shot......and 2019 will anyway see a billion-modis rising ! congressis should call it a day on their own i n s tead of having to go through another major disgrace .....(9)(8) Reply RrishiMar 26 2018 at 1:03 amThe Nation NEEDS Modi-Led-BJP-Led-NDA for two more terms to get it out of the rut that had creeped in in every inst i t u tion of ours which were there just for the sake of being there......functionally i m p o t ent or at best fine-tuned to serve the dynasty.....the Nation moved at a snail s pace in those sex-plus decades when most of the other countries leaped forward and strengthened their national infrastructure to meet the pressures of employment and better-livelihoods of their future generations........the billion-plus well-wishers of our Nation have the challenge now to ensure the process of development not only carries on uninterrupted but also picks up a faster pace in the next two terms of BJP-Led-NDA whose top stalwarts led by Modi hold to their heart the aspirational concerns of our upright young and hardworking billion-plus women and men insearch of clean and honest livelihoods. BJP therefore MUST be strengthened with far greater and encouraging mandate in 2019.(14)(11) ReplyRrishiMar 26 2018 at 1:05 am4th line....read.....the Nation moved at a snail s pace in those six-plus decades ......(3)(8) Reply Load More Comments .story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ Cambridge Analytica: Cong likens Ravi Shankar Prasad to Goebbels; 10 points Identity theft is the biggest threat from Aadhaar says Robert Baptiste Govt s Umang app finally sees the light of the day: All you need to know Pardada not nana: Narendra Modi s remark on Rahul Gandhi s grandfather Rahul Gandhi Cong s new prez says BJP crushes voices: Top 10 developments span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 After the data leak scandal involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica and the many reports of Aadhaar data of Indian being at a risk of compromise the Narendra Modi app seems to be in the eye of a storm and a new flashpoint in the war between the Congress and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi s app was leaking data to US companies. In a post on Twitter Gandhi claimed that the Prime Minister was allowing American companies to take away the data of users who signed up for his application. 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 Rahul Gandhi tweeted. To this the BJP countered the charge by saying that Gandhi and his party had zero knowledge of technology. The development comes close on the heels of the Cambridge Analytica scandal causing a political slugfest between the BJP and Congress. Both the parties accused each other of having links with the data company under the scanner for stealing data from Facebook and influencing elections. BJP alleged that Cambridge Analytica was involved in Rahul Gandhi s social media campaigns especially in last year s Gujarat Assembly election. Congress on its part claimed that BJP availed of the company s services in various state Assembly elections -- Bihar Maharashtra Haryana Jharkhand and Delhi -- besides for its Mission 272 plus in the 2014 general elections. Apart from these the two parties also crossed swords several times over the Aadhaar data security. In January when the nodal agency implementing the Aadhaar project Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) filed an FIR against the The Tribune and its reporter Rachna Khaira for an article reportedly exposing the ease with which anybody would steal Aadhaar-related data Congress had accused the NDA government of destroying the Aadhaar programme and called the FIR unfortunate . Here are the top developments in the latest data breach row allegedly involving the Narendra Modi app: 1. Rahul claims Modi s app steals data: Rahul took a jibe at PM Modi on Twitter on Sunday alleging that his Narendra Modi app was leaking data to US companies. 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.https://t.co/IZYzkuH1ZH Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 25 2018 2. BJP counters Rahul s claim: BJP said that Rahul Gandhi and his party had no knowledge about technology. Here is what BJP said in the tweet. Rahul Gandhi truly shows why he and his party have zero knowledge of technology. All they can do is scare the masses about technology while they continue to steal data using his Brahmastra of Cambridge Analytica. BJP (@BJP4India) March 25 2018 3. Union Minister K J Alphons responds: In an apparent response to Rahul Gandhi Alphons said I filled up to 10 pages for a US visa form. We have absolutely no problem giving our fingerprints and being naked before the white man at all. When your own government asks for your name and address there is a massive revolution saying it s intrusion of privacy. 4. Narendra Modi app sending user info to US company : French researcher Elliot Alderson has alleged that information of those who have downloaded the app was being provided to third party US company Clever Tap without users consent. In a series of tweet Anderson had claimed that user s device information as well as personal data was sent to a third-party domain called in.wzrkt.com. when a person creates profile in the app. 5. Latest row after govt issued notice to Cambridge Analytica: The government on Friday issued a notice to UK-based Cambridge Analytica asking it to give a list of clients and the source of data it had collected. The IT Ministry has asked the firm to respond by March 31 on six questions including how the company had collected user data whether consent was taken from the individuals and how the data was used. 6. Cambridge Analytica behind Rahul Gandhi s Gabbar Singh Tax jibe claimed BJP: Stepped up its attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress BJP had said that Cambridge Analytica s footprints were visible in the Opposition party s campaign in Gujarat. Further the BJP suggested that Cambridge Analytica had a role in the Congress chief s use of the term Gabbar Singh Tax . Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also suggested that the firm had a role in Gandhi s social media campaign and the Congress poisonous electioneering in Gujarat. 7. Take action instead of holding press conferences Congress tells BJP: Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi adviced the BJP that instead of holding press conferences the ruling party should take action over its allegation that the Opposition party is indulging in data theft to influence elections in India. Alleging that the BJP has dished out fake news for long Singhvi said that the spread of false information has been its forte. BJP is the party in power. Rather than holding press conferences why doesn t it take action? he said about Union Law and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad s charge that the Opposition party was using data manipulation and theft to woo voters. 8. Congress called Ravi Shankar Prasad lie minister : Equating Ravi Shankar Prasad to Hitler s Goebbels Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that now a new fake agenda is being used to stop the proceedings in Parliament. Surjewala added that instead of law minister Prasad should be called a lie minister . One who stole data (Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg) is also Prime Minister Narendra Modi s friend. Still they are shouting so much. Modiji and Prasad must reply to a few questions he added. 9. The battle over Aadhaar: Aadhaar has been another flashpoint between the two parties in their battle over data theft and privacy. Congress has time and again accused the NDA government of destroying the Aadhaar programme. In January Congress had condemned action against the reporter for an article which reportedly exposed the ease with which anybody can steal Aadhaar-related data. Instead of helping the poor it has become a tool of spying and surveillance Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza had said. In reply to Motion of Thanks to the President s address on February 7 prime minister Modi had attacked the Congress party over it s questions on the implementation of Aadhaar saying that Congress was crying foul because we made Aadhaar scheme better. I remember clearly when we won elections you (the Congress) said Modi will finish Aadhaar because it is our scheme (But) When Modi furthered it more scientifically and found new ways to implement it now after it has been implemented and started benefiting the poor you question its implementation the Prime Minister had said. Written by Krishn Kaushik | New Delhi | Updated: March 26 2018 7:39 am According to NaMo App s description it brings to you the latest information instant updates & helps you contribute towards various tasks. It provides a unique opportunity to receive messages and emails directly from the Prime Minister. THE BJP S online showcase for Prime Minister Narendra Modi the NaMo App which is under the spotlight in the wake of the debate over data privacy in social media asks users to provide access to as many as 22 personal features on their devices including location photographs and contacts microphone and camera. A comparative analysis by The Indian Express shows that this is more than what the official app of the Prime Minister s Office PMO India App asks users to volunteer access to 14 data points. The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology s citizen-engagement app MyGov app asks for permission to access nine data points. Amazon India s app needs 17 permissions on various counts from users. PayTM s app demands access to 26 data points and Delhi Police s app asks for access to 25 tracks but they provide a wider range of services. The NaMo app updates users about achievements of the BJP government and provides access to the audio of Prime Minister s Mann Ki Baat . On Saturday the user of Twitter handle @fs0c131y described on the account as a French security expert and who identified himself to The Indian Express as Robert Baptiste said the app may be providing personal user data to a third party without the users consent. He identified the company as US-based Clever Tap. Read | Narendra Modi Android app sharing personal info of users without consent: Researcher A day after these claims the privacy policy at narendramodi.in the website associated with the NaMo app was updated to state that certain user information may be shared with third party services to offer a better user experience most contextual content and updates . The information shared with third parties included it says name email mobile phone number device information location and network carrier. Read | Rahul Gandhi slams PM Modi for NaMo data theft BJP says he has zero tech knowledge The policy earlier stated: 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. When contacted by The Indian Express for comment the BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya did not respond to a specific question on whether this information was shared with a third party without the users consent. Read | Union Minister Alphons KJ dismisses Narendra Modi app data leak allegations as fake stories Responding to a detailed questionnaire sent Saturday Malviya said Sunday that data from the app is shared with a third party service for analytics similar to Google Analytics. The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services. Analytics and processing on the user data is done for offering users the most contextual content It also enables a unique personalised experience according to a person s interests he said. Described on PlayStore as the Official App of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the NaMo App mentions Bharatiya Janata Party 11 Ashoka Road New Delhi-110001 which used to be BJP headquarters till early last month as the address of the developer. Other political parties too use apps to connect to the electorate. The Congress party s With INC App demands access to ten data tracks. The SP App published by Anil Yadav who describes himself as Media Spokesperson Samajwadi Party on his verified Twitter account requires three data access points. The NaMo App is promoted through official government channels. Exam Warriors Modi s recently launched book aimed at the students preparing for the annual school exams encourages readers to download the NaMo app. The book was launched by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar in English and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Hindi. On March 23 The Indian Express reported that personal data of nearly 13 lakh NCC cadets was being collected so that the Prime Minister could interact with them. In a letter sent on February 23 the Director General of NCC told state directorates that the collection of data will facilitate this interaction by downloading Narendra Modi App in the cell phones of the cadets . Read | For chat with PM Modi NCC collects mobile email IDs of 13 lakh cadets According to NaMo App s description it brings to you the latest information instant updates & helps you contribute towards various tasks. It provides a unique opportunity to receive messages and emails directly from the Prime Minister. Under details the app specifies that no permission is compulsory on the NM app and has the facility that the user can disable the access for these permissions in settings. However when it is downloaded most of the permissions are given by default. It also mentions that the app can be accessed without registering with an email address or phone. According to the Supreme Court s ruling on privacy in August 2017 informed consent is important for data protection and data privacy. The fact that permissions for the NaMo app are not compulsory can only be found if one goes through the Read More section of the app users are not informed of it when downloading the app. Malviya said Each function asks for the specific permission when access is required. The app does not ask for blanket permissions when the app is started. When the app is downloaded it asks for access to the media stored on the phone which can be denied. It does allow use of the app without registering but a lot of the app s features do not function in guest mode or without allowing all the permissions sought. Malviya said that unlike most Apps the NaMo app allows users access in guest mode without any permission or data . The permissions required for the app he added are all contextual and cause-specific . On Saturday Baptiste had tweeted: 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. Baptiste said that wzrkt.com was a property of a company named Clever Tap. Actually Clever Tap is a company owned by Wizrocket which is a data analytics start-up founded in Mumbai in May 2013 and is now headquartered in California. On its website Clever Tap mentions that it helps organisations analyse data for stronger engagement with their users. It helps its clients it says on its website under user segmentation to influence app users behaviour by uncovering key insights across various dimensions. The NaMo App does not have any specific option of users consenting to their data being shared with Clever Tap. Speaking to The Indian Express Baptiste said the main issue is that personal information of users is shared without the consent of the user with a third-party company. These data can be used for a lot of things after that (sic) he said. Like they did for Cambridge Analytica for example. He was referring to the UK-based political consultancy Cambridge Analytica which is at the centre of a worldwide storm over its role in illegally using private information of Facebook users to influence election campaigns. Baptiste said the NaMo App does not share all the data that it has access to on users phones with Clever Tap but only information gathered at the time of registration. It means though the app continues to hold access to photographs location microphone camera identity contacts etc. it only shares information like the mobile operating system telecom carrier email gender name and photograph used for app registration. In his response Malviya said the app provides a platform for millions of his fans and party cadre to connect directly with the Prime Minister . Calling it one of its kind he said the app enables unprecedented engagement and interactivity and is way different from apps of other parties and their leaders which are one-way flow. He mentioned various path-breaking engagement activities including the exam warrior module of the app. Regarding Baptiste s claims Malviya said the user was only sharing his or her own data. This is not a security breach. The person does not have access to any data apart from his own data he said. What the rest ask for PMO India: Set wallpaper MyGov: Read/receive SMS Amazon India app: Connect/disconnect from WiFi install shortcuts read/receive SMS PayTM: Connect/disconnect from WiFi install shortcuts read sync settings toggle sync on & off run at startup read calendar events/confidential information add/modify calendar events and send emails to guests without user knowledge read/receive/send SMS Indian Express News App: Control vibration run at startup Delhi Police App: Modify your contacts access extra location provider commands access approx. location (network-based) read call log reroute outgoing calls Android permission: write_SMS run at startup etc Common user cases: photo sharing QR/barcode scan social media; phone caller social network; maps and navigation; location-based services like cab booking local delivery. Audio assistant voice recorder games device tracking and identification caller read SMS (OTP autofill) financial tracker choosing between WiFi/cellular for big downloads/uploads Media watching flashlight (taking photos) For all the latest India News download Indian Express App Tags: Android Narendra Modi Sanjay BhattacharyaMar 26 2018 at 9:33 amWhatever conspiracy Indian Express and anti-India forces do You won t be able to defeat BJP because God is always with truth.(5)(7) Reply Jigsaw KemertonMar 26 2018 at 9:27 amGaylord Modi is a fraud. He is one of the most vile venal vicious politicians in India s political history. He is a corrupt moron and a rabid terrorist.(9)(4) Reply Sriram KalpathiMar 26 2018 at 9:19 amUnbelievable and handing over the country on a silver platter.(21)(0) Reply Arul SusaiMar 26 2018 at 9:16 amThis is another way of controlling the citizens freedom.(18)(0) ReplyMar 26 2018 at 9:28 amand their minds. Our Dear Leader Kim Modi.(2)(0) Reply Amit AgMar 26 2018 at 9:07 amPaid news by pres utes(5)(35) Reply Load More Comments NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his Mann ki Baat to address farmers and their distress elaborating on the Budget promise to pay a support price that is one and half times the cost incurred. But the formula he laid out does not cover comprehensive cost (C2) that a section of farmers has been demanding. Instead the government will go for the A2 FL formula that covers cost and imputed value of unpaid family labour. It has been decided that the MSP of notified crops will be fixed at least one and a half times of their cost. If I may elaborate on this the MSP will include labour cost of other workers employed expenses incurred on own animals and cost of animals and machinery taken on rent cost of seeds cost of each type of fertilizer used irrigation cost land revenue paid to the state government interest paid on working capital ground rent in case of leased land Modi said. Not only this but also the cost of labour of the farmer himself or any other person of his family who contributes his or her labour in agricultural work will be added to the cost of production he added. All the cost and imputed value of unpaid family labour enlisted by Modi is referred as A2 FL formula. A section of farmers organisations has however been demanding use of comprehensive cost (C2) formula which takes into account rental value of owned land and interest on fixed capital apart from A2 FL. PM Modi s remarks on Sunday gave a clear signal that the government won t go for C2 formula while fixing MSPs of Kharif (summer sown) crops which will be marketed from October. Efforts are on to connect local village mandis to wholesale market and then on with the global market. Twenty-two thousand rural haats in the country will be upgraded by creating the necessary infrastructure and these will be integrated with APMC and e-NAM platform so that the farmers would not have to go to distant places for selling their produce said Modi. After going round several mandis (agri markets) across five states during March 14-22 the group led by Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj Abhiyan on Saturday claimed that farmers were not able to sell any crop at MSP at any of these mandis and urged the government to open up a sufficient number of procurement centres so that farmers are not forced into situation of distress sale. The Prime Minister in his radio address also hailed the role of leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi Lal Bahadur Shastri Ram Manohar Lohia Charan Singh and Devi Lal for recognising agriculture and the farmer as vital aspects of the nation s economy. Referring to Bhimrao Ambedkar he said Many people mocked Baba Saheb Ambedkar tried to pull him back and made every possible effort to ensure that the son of an impoverished and backward family would not progress in life be something and succeed in life. But the picture of New India is altogether different . NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today lamented that many people mocked Bhimrao Ambedkar and made efforts to ensure that the son of a backward family does not progress but noted that today s new India is altogether different as it belongs to the poor and the backward. In his monthly Mann ki Baat radio address the prime minister also hailed the role of leader such as Mahatma Gandhi Lal Bahadur Shastri Ram Manohar Lohia Charan Singh and Devi Lal for recognising agriculture and the farmer as vital aspects of the nation s economy. The prime minister said Ambedkar showed us that to succeed it is not necessary for a person to be born in an illustrious or rich family but even those who are born in poor families in India can dare to dream their dreams and realise those dreams by achieving success. The prime minister said he himself is an example of Ambedkar s philosophy. ...many people mocked Ambedkar tried to pull him back and made every possible effort to ensure that the son of an impoverished and backward family does not progress in life be something and succeed in life. But the picture of new India is altogether different. It is an India which is Ambedkar s India of the poor and the backward Modi said. He said on the occasion Ambedkar s birth anniversary from April 14 to May 5 Gram-Swaraj Abhiyan is being organised. As part of the campaign separate programmes on village development poverty amelioration and social justice will be held throughout India. I urge you all to be a part of this campaign he said. Years ago Modi said Ambedkar spoke of India s industrialisation as a means to generate new jobs and push development. Today the campaign of Make in India is progressing successfully in consonance with Ambedkar s dream of India as an industrial super power -- that vision of his has become our inspiration today the PM said. That the development of industries could only be possible in the cities was the kernel of the idea of Ambedkar and that was the reason he banked upon urbanisation of India he said. Baba Sahib had strong faith in self-reliance. He did not want anybody to languish in poverty forever. He also believed that poverty cannot be ameliorated by mere distribution of capital...Today our monetary policy Start Up India Stand Up India initiative have become seedbed for our young innovators and young entrepreneurs Modi pointed out. He also hailed the role of Ambedkar in propagating the idea of having ports and waterways to boost economy. He said when India was discussing Partition the World War II and the Cold War Ambedkar in a way laid the foundation of Team India s spirit. He had talked about the importance of federalism federal system and stressed on the Centre and states working together for uplift of the country. Today we have adopted in all aspects of governance the mantra of co-operative federalism and going a step further we have adopted competitive cooperative federalism Modi said. Referring to the agriculture sector the PM said from Mahatma Gandhi to Lal Bahadur Shastri Ram Manohar Lohia Charan Singh and Devi Lal --all recognised agriculture and the farmer as vital aspects of the nation s economy and also for the common man s life. He recalled Mahatma Gandhi s words that to forget how to dig earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves. He said Shastri insisted improvised agricultural infrastructure while Lohia talked of creating a mass awakening about necessary measures to ensure a better income for farmers. He recalled that Charan Singh in his speech in 1979 had urged farmers to use new technology and to adopt new innovations and underlined their vital significance. In his Man Ki Baat programme on Sunday Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited the example of a rickshaw puller from Karimganj district in Assam who built nine schools for poor children. That he said gave him a glimpse into the nation s willpower. But did he get a glimpse into the determination of state governments cutting across party lines to kill initiatives like this using the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (better known as the Right to Education or RTE Act)? Representational images. Reuters Maharashtra where the government is headed by his protégé Devendra Fadnis has sent closure notices to 7 000 schools. The state is currently in the thick of a row over delayed reimbursements for admitting children under a 25 percent quota for economically weaker sections (EWS). It has not given refunds for five years now. When the schools said that they will not admit students under the EWS category till their dues were settled the state government threatened to cancel their registration. Some schools went to the court and got an interim stay. The state government has now said that the stay will apply only to schools that have gone to the court while administrators will be appointed in others. But reimbursement is not the only issue troubling budget private schools (which is probably what the rickshaw puller s schools are) across the country. Saying that schools are not conforming to the various infrastructure and input norms stipulated by the RTE Act as a condition for recognition many of these are being slapped with closure notices. Kerala and Delhi have sent notices to 2 500 and 300 schools respectively with a deadline of 30 March. Haryana too has sent notices to 1 300 schools. According to data put out by the National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA) as of May 2016 (the latest available consolidated data) a little over 4 000 schools have been closed since 2013 under the RTE Act while closure notices have been issued to around 7 700. The RTE Act does not make a distinction between posh private schools charging around Rs 6 000 a month and budget private school that charges Rs 500-600 a month. Both are required to pay their teachers according to the latest Pay Commission award. The area requirement for both is same even though budget private schools operate out of congested low-income localities where the required space may not be available. Unfortunately much of the lament-laden commentary about private schools fail to make this distinction. At the risk of being accused of injecting a communal element into this important issue one point needs to be made. The rickshaw puller in Assam may not face many of these issues. His name is Ahmed Ali and it is possible that the schools he has set up will be categorised as minority-run institutions which are exempt from these stipulations. The answer to this however is not to bring minority institutions within the Act s fold. It is to insist on the scrapping of the Act itself. Because this is not the only discrimination built into the RTE Act. Many government schools too do not have proper classrooms or conform to the prescribed pupil-teacher ratio. This is confirmed by both data from the District Information System for Education (DISE) as well the last Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the implementation of the RTE Act. Government schools however do not face the threat of de-recognition. Worse the RTE Act has only opened up avenues for corruption. The CAG report talks about excessive and irregular reimbursements schools not meeting the required norms as well as those functioning without recognition. Could Ahmed Ali have set up nine schools if he did not enjoy exemption from the sundry conditions of the RTE Act and thus get freedom from paying bribes or spending time in compliance-related paperwork? The working of the RTE Act has proved what critics warned when it was being debated and legislated that it will do more harm than good. Even the good is questionable. The CAG report had pointed out using the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) that the net enrolment ratio (NER) in primary education (Class 1-5) has declined steadily from 96 percent in 2012-13 to 87.3 percent in 2015-16. The demand for education among low-income groups is growing there is a realisation that this is the only way out of poverty. But government schools alone cannot cater to this demand. Budget private schools are chipping in big time. If Modi wants more initiatives like that of Ahmed Ali s he has to bring in a drastic overhaul of the RTE Act if not a complete junking of it. The BJP now has a majority in the Rajya Sabha and is in power in 19 states. There can be no excuse to dither on this vital issue. The writer is a senior journalist. She tweets at @soorpanakha