NaMo App: All you need to know about the whole fiasco
The controversy broke out when Rahul Gandhi on 25 March attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him that his app is sharing data to other websites.
Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said “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”.
Whether the information is being shared to other app has been claimed by a French-based hacker Elliot Alderson. In a series of tweets, the whistleblower said “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 .”
Commenting about the App to which the data being shared, Alderson said “This domain is classified as a phishing link by the company G-Data. This website is hosted by @GoDaddy and the whois info are hidden. 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".
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 https://t.co/N3zA3QeNZO. pic.twitter.com/Vey3OP6hcf
— Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) March 23, 2018
After Alderson’s tweets, his claims have been reported in the media. A fake news tracker website Altnews went to verify Alderson’s claims.
About the sharing information and private policy, the Namo App said “certain information may be processed by third party services to: Offer you the most contextual content. Show content in your own language. Update you when the PM is in your state. Give you a unique, personalized experience according to your interests. Give you important updates on email and sms. 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 car.”
First published: 26 March 2018, 11:08 IST
