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India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

reuters.com

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Re: India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

#181

Post by marginalx »

lallysingh wrote: post #46
__rito__ wrote: post #15

I wouldn’t venture in the direction that many here will take. I will point out that India have the highest number of victims of cyber-fraud. I personally know many people who have lost significant sums through social engineering attacks. The money is transferred to multiple mule accounts and physical cash is siphoned off to the fraudsters by the owners of those account. They choose helpless, illiterate, village dwell…

Yeah this is the wrong audience for this argument, but it has merit. An app like this can be both a massive government power grab and useful to protect many, many people who are vulnerable to fraud. The number of my relatives that will just believe whatever someone tells them on the phone is terrifying.

This is quite dismissive of the audience, how do you suggest this app protects the people from believing whatever someone says?

Re: India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

#183

Post by ssivark »

Animats wrote: post #79

What does this app actually do, in detail? Anyone know?

This seems to be the app: https://www.sancharsaathi.gov.in/

Looks like it's quire popular/established already, with over 10 million downloads. Basically a "portal" for basic digital safety/hygiene related services.

Quoting Perplexity regarding what facilities the app offers:

1. Chakshu: Report suspicious calls, SMS, or WhatsApp for scams like impersonation, fake investments, or KYC frauds.

2. Block Lost/Stolen Phones: Trace and block devices across all telecom networks using IMEI; track if reactivated.

3. Check Connections in Your Name: View and disconnect unauthorized numbers linked to your ID.

4. Verify Device Genuineness: Confirm if a phone (new or used) is authentic before purchase.

Re: India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

#184

Post by hurutparittya »

goku12 wrote: post #3
qwerty59 wrote: post #2

Very concerning. I will be suprised if companies like apple comply though.

As concerning as it is, this is just another addition to the pile of malware that a modern smartphone is. Everyone including SoC manufacturer, RF baseband manufacturer, OEM, OS developer, browser developer and app developers add their own opaque blobs, hidden executable rings, lockdown measures, attestation layers, telemetry, trojan apps, hidden permissions and more. We lost the game when we allowed these players to…

Is there any person or organization out there doing significant work against remote attestation being a thing? I'd love to support them.

Re: India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

#185

Post by observationist »

nephihaha wrote: post #162
MonkeyClub wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm shocked India is currently run by a nationalist regime headed by the so called "butcher of Gujarat"[1], there isn't much that would shock me wrt to that lot's totalitarian tendencies. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_image_of_Narendra_Modi

Mate, this isn't even remotely "nationalist". This stuff is being pushed across the world. Digital ID? The only people really desperate for it are our rulers.

It's funny how it's all rolling out right around the same time. Almost like they get together and plot this stuff at big meetings multiple times a year, where they get lavish meals and entertainment, get wined and dined by the rich and elite, and... well. Must be good to be kings.

It's really 4 horsemen of the infocalypse garbage being trotted out, and the general population is clueless and credulous. "They're in charge, surely they must know what they're doing! They wouldn't lie to us! They most assuredly have our collective best interests in mind, and they'll do the right thing!"

Re: India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

#186

Post by nunobrito »

snapcaster wrote: post #123
nunobrito wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a dodgy Android distro for several reasons. LineageOS has no such shenanigans nor has a pattern of suspicious funding.

you're all over this thread saying this, can you link an article or at least explain what you mean?

It is tiresome to repeat every single time the arguments that so many other cyber experts have also mentioned including here on YC. This is quite the common knowledge by now.

Kindly use the search box on the bottom of the page.

Re: India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

#187

Post by nunobrito »

handedness wrote: post #90
nunobrito wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a dodgy Android distro for several reasons. LineageOS has no such shenanigans nor has a pattern of suspicious funding.

> It is a dodgy Android distro for several reasons. What are these reasons? > LineageOS has no such shenanigans nor has a pattern of suspicious funding. What pattern of suspicious funding?

There are threads on YC almost every week/month promoting that dodgy distro. Inside them are the comments with proper details from plenty of other YC users.

For the sake of avoiding repetition or bias, just do your own research. There is a search box at the end of the page.

Re: India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

#188

Post by nbsande »

> With more than 5 million downloads since its launch, the app has helped block more than 3.7 million stolen or lost mobile phones, while more than 30 million fraudulent connections have also been terminated.

I might be reading this wrong but these numbers seem very weird. Did more than half the people who downloaded the app block a stolen phone? And did each person who downloaded the app terminate 6 fraudulent connections?

Re: India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app

#190

Post by nunobrito »

handedness wrote: post #88
nunobrito wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That distro is seriously not good for your privacy. DYR (deeper) and support less dodgy options like LineageOS.

> That distro is seriously not good for your privacy. How so? > DYR (deeper) Care to help with that?

That distro is promoted ad nauseam here, most cybersecurity experts write their arguments to warn people but it gets tiresome to repeat the same arguments over and over again every week.

There is a search box on the bottom of this page, just research for yourself and learn what this is about.

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