The Wire has uncovered a confidential app Tech Fog in an investigation, which has been used to manipulate social media trends and WhatsApp phishing has come to the fore. Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Anand Sharma has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to coordinate with the concerned ministries and submit the reply before the committee by January 20.
New Delhi: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma, has written to the Union Home Secretary seeking information about the Tech Fog app, which was allegedly used to manipulate social media trends.
According to the news of The Hindu, confirming the letter written by Anand Sharma to the Home Secretary, a source said that the head of the Home Affairs Committee has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to coordinate with other concerned ministries by January 20. Submit the answer before the committee.
After this the committee plans to discuss the issue, the source said.
On the other hand, after Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien, now Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has also written a letter to committee chairman Anand Sharma demanding discussion on the matter.
It should be noted that Derek O’Brien the wire Referring to the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, a meeting was demanded on Thursday. O’Brien himself is also a member of the committee.
In the said letter, O’Brien had said, ‘This app is capable of hijacking encrypted messaging platforms to manipulate the narrative on social media platforms. The use of manipulative technology like tech fog poses a serious threat to the security of the nation and citizens and is a violation of fundamental rights to privacy and freedom of expression.
At the same time, he wrote, ‘It is like exploiting public discussion and is dangerous for the democracy and security of the country.’
At the same time, the Editors Guild of India has also issued a statement requesting the Supreme Court to take cognizance of the matter and order an inquiry.
Point to be noted is that the wire On January 6, after two years of investigation, TechFog, a confidential app, with the help of some sources, was revealed by political people affiliated with the ruling party to artificially increase the popularity of the party, to harass its critics and all major parties. Social media platforms are largely used to divert public perceptions.
Broadly speaking, the app can hijack Twitter hashtags, control inactive WhatsApp accounts, and harass journalists criticizing the BJP online.
According to the investigation, there are four dangerous features of the social media rigging app.
1. Creating Public Narratives – Auto retweet or auto share and spam hashtags with the help of the app’s in-built automation features.
2. Phishing of inactive WhatsApp accounts- Private operators can send messages to frequently contacted or all numbers by hijacking inactive WhatsApp accounts of common citizens and using their phone numbers.
3. Use of Public Database for Planned Harassment – Screenshots from the app reveal an expansive and ever-changing cloud database of civilians, defined by their profession, religion, language, age, gender, political leanings and even their physical Categorized on the basis of characteristics.
4. Power to erase every evidence – The most dangerous feature of the app is that it leaves no trace of its own. App operators can delete or replace all existing accounts at a moment’s notice. That is, they can destroy all the activities of their past, which can prove their guilt.
the wire You can read the first part of this investigation here and the second part at this link.
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