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Politicos lap up secure calling apps
With the latest wave of “sting operations” in the state exposing high-level corruption, few politicians, who feel like a cat on a hot tin roof, have started installing secure calling and message applications onto their handsets. It is learnt that few of the secure applications, such as Redphone and Open Whisper, which are free applications and are easily available, are being lapped up by the Ministers, IAS officials and heads of departments (HoDs).
STUNG BY STING OPS
Hyderabad: With the latest wave of “sting operations” in the state exposing high-level corruption, few politicians, who feel like a cat on a hot tin roof, have started installing secure calling and message applications onto their handsets. It is learnt that few of the secure applications, such as Redphone and Open Whisper, which are free applications and are easily available, are being lapped up by the Ministers, IAS officials and heads of departments (HoDs).
For the last few weeks, both newspapers and TV news channels, which have been abuzz with news of sting operations. The news created a trust deficit among the Ministers and officials. They are edgy about the development and feel that their privacy has been invaded and just hate the idea of others prying into their personal lives.
A few political leaders from Congress camp are even disconnecting incoming calls only to get back to the caller through a “Secure Calling Apps.” They stopped talking to journalists and instead call them personally to meet. However, technical experts say iPhone users can have free, secure voice conversations with their Android owning-friends with such secure applications.
These applications keep communications fully encrypted, so that no one but the person holding the phone on the other end deciphers the words. Psychiatrists on the other hand feel that the fear of being watched and listened may create disharmony. “This kind of snooping will lead to suppressing of emotions and may cause psychological problems like anxiety and stress,” they said.
In Lok Sabha earlier this month, Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said on an average 5,000 interception orders per month are issued by the Union home secretary on requests made by law enforcement agencies on "justified grounds".
"In several other countries, it is illegal to record a phone conversation without consent unless there is prior information of criminality," city-based advocate Gulam Rabbani said adding that there is an increased degree of caution.
By:Victor Rao
