Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Wednesday, 8 July 2020

Privacy ? Security ? This may not be the last word !




Context :


(  08  July  2020 )


Extract :

Ø  The 13-lakh strong Army has directed all its officers and soldiers to delete their Facebook and Instagram accounts as well as 89 apps from their mobiles by July 15


Ø  Citing security considerations and leakage of sensitive data, the Army said those who do not follow the orders will face strict action. The outlawed apps include the 59 ones with Chinese links, including TikTok which were banned by the govt recently.


Ø  The fresh Army directive, taken to ensure the security of classified information, in the larger national interest, comes after the Navy also banned the use of Facebook for all its personnel , while also directing them not to carry smart mobile phones into bases and dockyards as well as on board warships, in December last

Ø  The Army in November last year had also directed its personnel, to avoid the use of WhatsApp for official work, while asking officers holding “ sensitive appointments “, to delete their Facebook accounts

======================================================

My Take :

Ø  A soldier’s job is to fight till his last breath. Similarly, a country’s government must keep coming out with new “ Rules – Regulations “ to preserve the national security, even as technology keeps advancing at a rapid rate to render “ privacy of data “, an impossibility



Why do you say so ?

In my following blog / email , I wrote :

{  PRIVACY : A Lost Battle   / 15 Jan 2018 }


“ To stave off any kind of sabotage from forces inimical to the country, the government has asked the officials of intelligence agencies and defense establishments not to use share or pool facilities of online cab aggregators such as OLA and Uber.

The precautionary measure has been taken to keep the identity of officials and their destination secret so that the information that may be revealed to co-passengers or driver cannot be used to target them or specific locations or dignitaries.

According to sources, the instruction has been issued for officials staying or working at or inside sensitive locations and defense establishments across the country.”

WHAT  NEXT  ?

Next expect the government to ask its officers not to use in their homes , internet enabled devices ( including Smart phones ) , embedded with AI software such as :


#   Cortana     (  Microsoft  )

#   Bixie         ( Samsung   )

#   Assistant   (  Google   )

#   Siri           (  Apple  )

#   Alexa        (  Amazon  )


WHY  ?


These devices learn a lot about ,


·         WHO you are ,

·         WHERE you live / work ,

·         WHAT you like / wear ,

·         HOW you dress ,

·         WHERE you take your family for holidays / eat out ,

·         WHO is your boss / are your friends,

·         WHERE you buy and WHAT ,

·         WHERE you studied and WHAT did you study ,

·         WHICH is your bank / WHAT is your bank account ,

·         WHAT is your current salary ,

·         HOW much tax you paid last year ,

·         WHAT properties you own and WHERE ( and , at WHAT price purchased / WHEN )

========================================================

Then 3 months later ( on 13 April 2018 ) , I sent following e-mail , where I wrote :



Dear Hon Shri Misraji
[ Chief Justice of India ] ,


Let me assume that you are using a,


*    Smart phone made by SAMSUNG 

     ( a South Korean manufacturer  )


*    Its Operating System is ANDROID 

     ( owned by American Google )


*    Its service provider is Vodafone

   (  a UK based Mobile Sevice Provider )



All of these entities have a complete AUDIO LOG of each and every word that you ever uttered, using your smart phone !  Ever since you started using it !


And complete log of every web site you ever visited from that phone


And entire data of your online purchases , made through any mobile app


This holds good of everyone using a smart phone – including government officials in charge of our national security !


Although a bit late, George Orwell’s “  1984 “ has finally arrived  !

=====================================================


Can you “ extrapolate “ this current scenario into some “ Near Future “ ?


Yes , we may need to ban PoS ( Point of Sale ) devices

     Why do you say that ?

   
     In today’s Economic Times , I came across following :



Extract :

Ø  The banking and payments sector may have to continue relying on ‘Made in China’ payment terminals or point of sale (PoS) machines, in the absence of cost-effective domestic or international alternatives.

Ø  Amid growing demand for digital payments in India, these swipe machines are the key hardware to process credit and debit card-based transactions at malls and retail stores

Ø  Currently, over 95% of POS terminal imports are from China, where the market is dominated by three global manufacturers — US-based Verifone, France-based Ingenico and Hong Kong-based Pax Technologies.

Ø  All three companies have manufacturing units in China…………..

Ø  Over 75% of global exports of payment terminals are from China…………

===================================================

Does use of Chinese PoS terminal cause any “ Data Privacy “ related problems ?

You bet !


At the risk of sounding an “ alarmist “ , I suspect that millions of these PoS terminals used in our Stores – Malls – Hotels etc., are transmitting to their Chinese manufacturers, following data :


Ø  WHO purchased ………… ( Buyer Identity )


Ø  WHAT item…………………. ( Goods / Service Description )


Ø  WHERE from………………. ( Store location / Store Name )


Ø  WHAT time…………………. ( Hour / Minute )


Ø  WHAT price…………………  ( Rupees )


Ø  CARD used ………………….( Issuer / Amount data/ This time / Cumulative / how often )


Ø  PURCHASE HISTORY …  ( Everything ever purchased )


Ø  WHO was manufacturer


Ø  PRICE VARIATION across entire country ( for each item sold using PoS )


Ø  PRICE FLUCTUATION over a time period ( for same item )



If , what I suspect is a “ Reality of Life “ ( let electronics hardware / software experts give their opinions ), then the Chinese know far more about our CONSUMER  PURCHASES , than what we know ourselves !



This is MARKET  SURVEY /  MARKET  RESEARCH , at its best !



And without spending any money or hiring any agency !



Now , even if our Experts opine that what I described is merely “ a figment of my imagination “, I suspect that, if and when, some Indian companies start manufacturing PoS locally, they would want to capture the kind of data described above by :


Ø   Embedding suitable software
Ø  Making each device Internet connected [  IoT  ]




Dear Shri Piyush Goyalji,


I urge you to announce an INCENTIVE PACKAGE for “ Made in India “ {  Atm-Nirbhar } PoS




With regards,


Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  09 July 2020


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