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Beware of Dangerous Apps
There are Apps which, pretend to make life easy for us. The so-called "smart phones" are usually the ones for which these are developed. Phones are not "smart". They are lifless, material objects with no brain (only programs) with capacity to think. Programs do not think, even if they have "artificial intelligence" which, is not intelligence but, a structured pre-progranmmed response to stimuli which, in turn are only as good as the author's idea should be to an external stimulus.
Since, phones are not smart, and never can be, people need to be smart.
A website called, "Gadgets Now" has published a caution against an App named, "Kimbho". It says that the App which, is pitched as an alternative to WhatsApp, has security issues and that it was taken out within hours of its launch.
Here's the link to the "Gadegets Now" web page with the caution.
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The “Robust” Security of Hoax & Sham ID Called, “Aadhaar”
That the database of "Aadhaar", the hoax and Sham ID (SID, for short) which, masquerades as a unique ID, has robust security, is a claim often made. The former chairman of UIDAI never tires of repeating the lie.
Recently, the current IT minister joined the group of the "Aadhaar" robustness security claimants, perhaps suffering from a bout of convenient amnesia. It was not very long ago that he was trashing it as a threat to national security because illegal immigrants are obtaining the Sham ID numbers which the government forcing everyone to accept.
When it comes to personal gain, for many here, national security pales into the background. The culture, is a trait displayed as early as, at the Third battle of Plassey which, historians call a commercial transaction (Mir Jaffer selling his state and army to robber baron, Clive).
Here’s a news report in ‘Bangalore Mirror’ dated 10 May 2017, of the accidental arrest of 7 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. All 7 had the Sham ID / "Aadhaar Cards". Labelling the Sham ID numbers as cards is part of the hoax. The link to the news report is at the end of this article.
This is not the first time that this has happened.
On 20th February 2014, ‘Indian Express’ reported the arrest of 7 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants working as contract laborers in the local Army HQ at Bengaluru.
Two of them were found with Sham ID / "Aadhaar Cards".
The unbelievable stupidity of those who run this hoax does not stop here.
When I queried UIDAI through RTI dangers of such illegal immigration and action taken to prevent recurrence, UIDAI replied to me enclosing a copy of its response to a similar query from the police station investigating the crime.
UIDAI told the police in its reply that the enrolments were “genuine”, not fake or ghost which, the Sham ID / "Aadhaar", is supposedly eliminating!
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UID / "Aadhaar" – Grave & Present Danger
No one in his / her right senses will link ALL databases of a Nation to one number
The interview of CEO, UIDAI in ‘Times of India’ today (Sunday, 07 May 2017) reveals ignorance of basics of both IT (Information Technologies) and Biometrics on the part of both the interviewer and the interviewee.
Perhaps, the CEO didn’t read Aesop’s fables or Tenali Raman Stories in school.
If he had, he would know that it is foolish to put all one’s eggs in one basket.
The question about UID / "Aadhaar" is not about its many flaws, but about its
purpose.
As for flaws, one does not have to search. It’s all over. The Parliament Standing Committee called it “Conceptually Flawed” and “Directionless.
The present NSA and IT minister are on record stating on TV that UID / "Aadhaar" Scheme cannot achieve any of its objectives and that it is a threat to national security.
Everyone seems tongue-tied after the PM discovered the wonders of UID / "Aadhaar".
Like the ‘King’s New Clothes’ he is perhaps waiting for a five-year old to wake him up from his reverie!
In the interview, firstly, the CEO has lied to the nation in refuting the assertion by many that the entire UID / "Aadhaar" Database is junk.
It is impossible to believe that he has not read the contract between UIDAI and BSPs (Biometric Solution Providers – those who provide identification, de-duplication and authentication solutions and services).
Paragraph 1 of Clause 4.1.1 of Annexure ‘E’ to the contract informs the contractors that the demographic information is inaccurate and hence, should not be used for filtering / de-duplication.
Here is a man, the head of an organisation which, has contractually told its contractors that the data is so inaccurate that it cannot be used for any purpose, but publicly announcing that everything is right with the data.
He cannot be ignorant of the many FIRs for enrolment frauds indulged in by Enrolling Agencies (EAs). Does he know the status of the investigations? Has he taken any action to prevent such crimes?
He cannot be ignorant of the two sting operations, ‘Headlines Today’ and ‘Cobra Post’ that showed how anyone can obtain a UID / "Aadhaar" number, for a price.
He cannot be ignorant of the fact that terrorists or spies live with false identities ALL the lives.
He cannot be ignorant that biometric recognition (identification) is inherently fallible.
When the demographic info in the UID database is inaccurate and that fact is not known to banks and the government has made UID / "Aadhaar" acceptable KYC norm, does he expect banks to carry out additional checks before opening accounts?
Could he say how it would be easier for investigating agencies to trace culprits trough UID / "Aadhaar"?
How is saying the obvious that the public display of data of 130 Crore people on website endangers private data of these people, irresponsible?
Does he not know that once data is displayed even for a few minutes on the Internet, it is gone for good?
One need not be concerned about such data leaks, when ALL data is being contractually made available to foreign private companies.
The display of the data would have told anyone with rudimentary understanding of IT that such things are bound to happen and hence, linking all databases with a single number identified with a person is stupid and shows the extent of ignorance of IT in our country. Some here have made tons of money hiring IT coolies to do chop-shop jobs for foreign outfits and became rich through the toil and sweat of these poor sloggers in our IT - BPO sweat-shops. Let us not pretend to be an IT super power.
Please follow the link below for text of the interview
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Sham ID Goes Places - Ingoramus Seeks 'Aadhaar' Card for Cows
There is no end to ignorance and stupidity. In fact, apart from God, these two are infinite.
Since, ignorance of IT can do is as ubiquitous as the Sham ID, called, "Aadhaar",
now someone is asking that each cow should be given a unique ID, like, "Aadhaar".
Perhaps, we must teach the cow to remember her 'Aadhaar' number.
Then again what's the biometrics of a cow? Does it have fingerprints, or do we call them hoofprints?
May be iris will work, privided we can get the cow to look into the scanner without twitching its tail.
To what ridiculous extent has the Sham ID / "Aadhaar" craze brought us. We have become the laughing stock of the world.
Please follow the link below for the news story on the unique ID for cows.