Live data from Hacker News

Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

news.ycombinator.com

201–210 of 321 posts

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#201
post #179
post #76

This is the unfortunate reality of India; the government/police don't need to actually go to court. It can harass companies and executives by simply threatening to / actually carrying out unnecessary 'raids' through the tax department. The usual process is for the a bunch of policemen and beareaucrats to just show up unannounced; seal the office so that no one can enter or leave, and seize computers / phones, files a…

Interestingly enough, if all of the above is true, then one can imagine that this very HN submission might be the work of a member of the Indian government/police wanting to increase pressure on Razorpay by applying negative PR to the company. Post-truth world is not pretty.

There's another comment providing more context; Razorpay is facing flak from some folks because it gave up transaction/donor data for a journalist's company. (Razorpay is the payment provider for the journalist's company AltNews)

The India government is actually trying their best to persecute the journalist (Mohd. Zubair) and putting pressure on Razorpay to get to AltNews/Zubair. (The govt. is trying to insinuate that the journalist is writing articles criticizing India on the behest of foreigners - by cooking up allegations that he has been receiving donations from people outside India)

I'm only arguing that it's next to impossible to stand up to the government in India; Razorpay need not be pro-government or anti Alt news, they are likely being forced to comply with the Government's (perhaps extra legal) demands via shady tactics and they need to save their own skin.

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not that I support the intention of cops to go at his restaurant in the first place, in the article I read, he swung his knife at the cop as well.

> Not that I support the intention of cops to go at his restaurant in the first place, in the article I read, he swung his knife at the cop as well. No the article says - Police "alleged" that he swung his knife as well, which he and his family denies. I don't know what really happened but it would be silly to solely rely on cop's version of events.

>it would be silly to solely rely on cop's version of events.

Especially in Modhi's Hindu nationalist India.

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#203
Rule of law is a joke in India.

Center has central agencies and each states has their own police department. So whenever there is a noticeable criticism from someone centre or state govt will send their police/agency your way. You will be detained, put through the worst conditions and false charges will be filed. Most of these charges don't hold in higher courts but the damage is done. You will suffer, a lot. You will not dare to speak up again.

This is even so comical, sometimes centre will send agencies against another party politicians in power in a state they are not in power, and state will send police for local politicians from centre party. (https://scroll.in/article/1027571/how-the-modi-government-ha...)

Sometimes diff state police with diff party governments fight with each other. (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-editorials/sto...)

And sometimes police will just plant evidence in your email with their work email address as backup email address. They literally jailed bunch of very old left activists with fake charges by hacking their email accounts. (https://www.wired.com/story/modified-elephant-planted-eviden...)

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#204
post #31
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple chose not-jail and not-ban when faced with the requirement that all iCloud users in China be subject to realtime CCP surveillance. Apple's iCloud operations in China (required under Chinese law for Chinese users) are in CCP-controlled datacenters. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/technology/apple-china-ce... Then they did it again in the USA, preserving a backdoor in the end-to-end crypto of iMessage for the…

> If you are large enough, the laws don't apply to the government's strong-arm treatment of you. They have all the machine guns, you have none. Interestingly this also works for small fish: If you are too small, you can get by without sticking to the rules because you won't be on the governments radar.

It's true. The rules applied (in practice) to small exchanges are not the same rules applied to Coinbase.

Equal application/protection under the law is a myth.

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#205
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> billed as "world's largest democracy". Wtf is the bullshit we are made to believe? New York Times: “India is valued the world over for a great many things, but for three over others: the Taj Mahal, Mahatma Gandhi and India’s electoral democracy.” It is the 17th general election in India, being held in seven phases over 38 days. Nine hundred million Indians are registered to vote! Around 70 percent are expected to v…

India has a very effective and fair electoral system, that's about it. The other branches and foundations of a liberal democracy are either a sham or crumbling in India. Minorities are routinely targeted, court judgments are filled with personal opinions... i could go on. The mere existence of a voting system does not a full democracy make. Remember, Russia also has "elections".

> Minorities are routinely targeted..

> court judgments are filled with personal opinions..

Sounds like another country that we know of.

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#206
post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's important to note that the cops partake such actions on the directions from higher-ups.

The Nuremberg defence?

Or "the entire police force is corrupt, not just the beat cops".

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#207

Quoted post unavailable.

You are linking to OpIndia - a virulent, propagandist right-wing publication?

The sad part is people with enough social awareness still linking these publications (ones that push a certain political agenda, in this case- far-right) probably do not perceive this as the sole truth rather as a means to defend the injustice they too deem right being carried out.

In other words, any justification possible for their views.

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#208
The OP is not telling the complete story and maligning RazorPay and the current Indian government. Such one-sided posts do not belong here.

This co-founder of AltNews has been habitually mocking the Hindu deities and would delete his offending posts whenever caught.

His position on religion can be summed up below:

If you mock my God, I will ensure that you face the maximum repercussions possible. However, if I mock your God, I will play victim and bring my entire ecosystem together to discredit you.

Folks reading this, things are far more complex than made out to be. Read all the sides before reaching a conclusion.

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#209

Quoted post unavailable.

> The alleged fact-checker has been arrested because he has made similar objectional comments on various social media about Hindu deity.

Completely false.

Mohammad Zubair has been arrested for posting a screenshot from 1983 Indian film "Kisi Se Na Kehna" (Don't tell anybody). Yes, let me repeat. For posting a screenshot from a 40 years old Indian film.

"Democracy" my foot!

PS - I don't think that this should matter but unfortunately in today's India it does so here it is - I am a Hindu. A secular one not one of the communal big0ts.

https://scroll.in/latest/1027077/zubair-arrested-for-posting...

Re: Tell HN: Razorpay a YC company shared donor data under a Section 91 order

#210
post #32

In UP, India, a Muslim restaurant owner was arrested because the non-veg food he wrapped with old newspapers had photos of Hindu gods and goddesses. https://thewire.in/rights/up-man-arrested-for-wrapping-chick...

All: please do not step into religious flamewar hell. Not even baby steps please. This is the most avoidable kind of flamewar.

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31999966 and marked it off topic.

Post reply on HN