Problem With TrueCaller and Similar Apps

There are lot of so called caller identification apps that will put a name for an unknown number calling your cellphone. But the ugly truth behind this is usually overlooked. People just don't understand that just by installing these stealthy apps, they are breaching privacy of others and also putting themselves and others in risk. Let me explain few of the possible scenarios and a possible solution for handling apps like this.

1. Person A gives his number to Person B so that they can stay in touch (may be for business or personal needs). Person C asks Person B for Person A's mobile number.

In usual case, Person B will politely refuse to share Person A's number. In some cases Person B will call Person A to get his consent to give his number to Person C.

But in TrueCaller's case, the entire contact list of Person B is uploaded to TrueCaller's server WITHOUT getting the consent of anyone in the list.

2. Person A stores some sensitive information like credit card numbers and PIN numbers as contacts. (It is stupid, but people always do that right?)

In usual case, Person A puts his credit card at risk in case someone snatches his phone or hacks in to his phone.

But with TrueCaller, the numbers are uploaded to the third-party server by default. They may claim that their system will filter out numbers that are not phone numbers. But who is going to audit it?

3. Person A stores his brother's/girlfriend's/son's/mom's number with their pet-name.

In usual case, this can be seen only by few (if they are staring in to Person A's phone when their dear one is calling.

With TrueCaller, the contact is uploaded and anyone who receives a call from the number may get the pet/nick name of the person. Similarly, some people store relationships like "Person A's Mom", "Person B's Wife" etc in their phone. With whose consent these sensitive information are shared with anyone on the Internet?

4. A womanizer or a scammer can browse the TrueCaller database with random numbers and get the names. Sometimes information like the company they work for or the college they study are also included with the contact name. With this, they can call the person and start a conversation like "Hey, Rajesh, how are you? I studied MSc with you..."

Above mentioned are not the only problems you can have. There are lot more possibilities that we can never figure out! The main problem with TrueCaller and such apps are this. My (or your) mobile number, name and often, other sensitive information are uploaded to the server of a private third-party's server without my (or your) consent just because some asshole who stored your number in his contact list installed a stupid app to say him who is calling from an unknown number.

To avoid the above mentioned problems and to ensure that everyone's privacy is respected, these apps should first get the consent of the users before they store their data in their servers and make them accessible to the public. If someone who has your contact uploads their entire contact list to these thrid-parties, they should send an SMS or make an automated voice call to get your consent before even storing your data in their servers. Unless this is done, these apps remain as a serious privacy and security threat to the public.

If you want to protect yourselves and your family and friends from these rouge apps, follow the below steps.

1. Uninstall these rouge apps if you have them installed
2. If these rouge apps come pre-installed with your phone, then disable them before you start using the phone.
3. Go to their sites and unlist your numbers.
4. Tell about the dangers to your friends and family and ask them to do the above steps.
5. Give feedback to developers of these unethical apps. Give them poor rating. File complaints against them in appropriate forums.

ஃபயர் ஃபாக்ஸ் ஃபோகஸ் - இணையத்தில் உலாவ ஒரு நம்பகமான தோழன்

ஃபயர் ஃபாக்ஸ் ஃபோகஸ் (Fire Fox Focus) ஒரு புதிய ஆண்டிராய்டு / ஐ-ஓ.எஸ் (Android / iOS) செயலி (App) ஆகும். மிகவும் அறியப்பட்ட உலாவிகளில் (Browsers) ஒன்றான ஃபயர் ஃபாக்ஸின் மற்றுமொரு பரிமாணமே இந்தப் புதிய உலாவி செயலி. இந்த உலாவி விளம்பரங்கள் மற்றும் உங்கள் பயன்பாட்டைக் கண்காணிக்கும் டிராக்கர்கள் (Trackers) ஆகியவற்றை தானாகவே தடைசெய்துவிடுகிறது. இந்தப் புதிய செயலியை ஆண்டிராய்டு ப்ளே ஸ்டோரில் இருந்து பதிவிறக்கம் செய்துகொள்ளலாம். இந்தச் செயலி வெறும் 4 எம்.பி அளவு மட்டுமே கொண்டது. எனவே உங்கள் கைப்பேசியின் வேகத்தை இது குறைக்காது.

சில வலைத்தளங்கள் உங்கள் கைப்பேசியில் உள்ள ஜீ.பீ.எஸ். மூலம் உங்கள் இருப்பிடத்தைக் கண்டுபிடித்து, அதற்கேற்றார் போல விளம்பரங்களை காட்டுகின்றன. சில தளங்கள், நீங்கள் படிக்கும் பக்கங்கள், மற்றும் தேடும் சொற்களைக் கொண்டு உங்களை பற்றிய ஒரு ப்ரோபைலை உருவாக்கி வைத்துக்கொண்டு நீங்கள் யார், என்ன செய்கிறீர்கள், எங்கு உள்ளீர்கள், என்ன விருப்பு/வெறுப்பு உள்ளவர் என்று ஒரு அனுமானத்திற்கு வருகின்றன. இதனால் என்ன தப்பு என்கிறீர்களா? அவர்கள் இத்தனை மெனக்கெட்டு இதைச் செய்ய என்ன காரணம்? இந்தத் தகவல்களைக்கொண்டு குறிவைத்து விளம்பரத்தாக்குதல் நடத்தி (Targeted Ad Campaigns), உங்களைப் பொருட்களை வாங்க வைப்பதே நோக்கம்.

ஆன்லைன் வர்த்தகம், நமக்கு வேண்டுமா வேண்டாமா என்ற முன்யோசனையின்றி, நம்மைப் பல பொருள்களை வாங்க வைக்கும் ஒரு சிலந்திவலை. கடன் அட்டைகளும், ஆன்லைன் வர்த்தகமும் நம்மை தேவையற்ற பொருட்களை வாங்கி குவிக்கும் அடிமைகளாக்கியுள்ளன. முதலாளித்துவத்தின் இன்றியமையாத அம்சங்களான அதீத உற்பத்தி (over production), நுகர்வுக்கலாச்சாரம் (consumerism) மற்றும் கடன் மூலம் அடிமைப்படுத்துவது (debt slavery) எல்லாம் உங்கள் கைப்பேசிக்குள்ளும் ஒளிந்திருக்கின்றன. இந்நிலையில், ஃபயர் ஃபாக்ஸ் ஃபோகஸ் உங்களுக்கு ஓரளவேனும் இந்த துல்லியத் தாக்குதல்களில் இருந்து பாதுகாப்பளிக்கிறது.

மேலும் கூடுதல் பயன்களாக, இந்தச் செயலி மூலம் நீங்கள் இணையத்தில் உலாவும்போது, உங்கள் கைபேசியில் உள்ள டேட்டா குறைவாகப் பயன்படுகிறது. இதனால் பக்கங்கள் சீக்கிரத்தில் தெரிகின்றன. மேலும் குறைவான மெமரி, டேட்டா மற்றும் ப்ராசசர் பயன்பாட்டால் உங்கள் மின்கலன்(பேட்டரி) பயன்பாடும் வெகுவாகக் குறைகிறது. கூகிளின் கோரப்பிடியில் சிக்கி இருக்கும் ஆண்டிராய்டு இயங்குதளமும், அதனோடு வரும் உலாவியும் (ஆப்பிள்/ஐ-ஓ.எஸ் குறித்து சொல்லவே வேண்டாம்!) ஏற்படுத்திடும் அச்சுறுத்தல்களில் இருந்து நாம் சற்றேனும் தப்ப இந்த புதிய உலாவி நமக்கு உதவும் என்று நம்புவோமாக!

India Ranks 89 in Average Internet Connection Speed

According to the latest Akami State of The Internet Report, India ranks 89 globally in average connection speed. The report observes that the average connection speed in India is around 6.5 Mbps. This makes India 14th of the 15 countries surveyed in the Asia Pacific region. It is worth noting that Asia Pacific region contains the global leader South Korea.

In terms of peak speed, India is in 15th position in Asia Pacific region and  the global rank is an abysmal 97. Despite the high penetration of 4G networks like Jio and Airtel and higher smartphone adaptation, the country remains far behind both globally and in the neighborhood in terms of connectivity speed.

Further on the distribution of broadband speeds, 42% of Indians have 4 Mbps lines, 19% have 10 Mbps lines and only 10% have 15 Mbps lines. On an interesting side note, USA ranks 28th in terms of Wireless Connectivity speeds!

iPhone Six or iPhone Sucks?

Every time a new iPhone or shiny iCrap is released, some or other Crapple fanboys will come to me saying now they are the best in the world and everyone else will copy them. When I reply that it is not so great and everything they claim new are age old features in other phones, they will say as the phone is selling well, there need not to be any argument and continue arguing anyway! At last, they will say, with the next version, I will buy an iPhone!

There may be any number of future iPhones. They may change in shape, size and features. But one thing will never change. My opposition to iPhone and other iBads unless and until they repent and make everything free as in freedom. Cost is the last problem I have with iProducts(still they are over priced and I think a phone or audio player or workstation doesn't worth your monthly or yearly income). But their lack of respect for user freedom is what bothers me the most.

Even in this version, they have copied features already available in many phones for years and are claiming that they are the first and best. But yes, what they claim is partly true. They are the first to implement these features with flaws and unacceptable restrictions. When we have Bluetooth in our phones, it is a feature. But Crapple users can't send or receive files, yet they too claim it as security "feature"! Similarly, they claim lack of USB charging as a "feature" and boast that they have bought a new genuine charger to replace the broken one for the same money I would spend on a new phone.

The problem is two fold. They lack knowledge about technologies and they don't want to accept the fact that they have lost lot of money for nothing. Most of the Crapple users, even though they are rich and elites, lack basic knowledge in technology. All the "facts" they "know" are from their rich ass counterparts or through advertisements and media hypes. Ask them a bit more about anything technical, they just resort to say, "I am an average user. Apple products just works!" and the next moment they again start boasting about technical details they got from review sites or word of mouth. It is kind of a social disease, you know, they can't stop talking about Crapple.

Next thing, people usually get excited when they buy new phones/PCs or other gadgets. That is quiet normal. But when they get maniac about each and every upgrade and couldn't control spending a huge sum of money for same thing you can get for less than half of the money, it means only one thing. They think the product is great as the cost is so high. Yes, there are some exclusive and limited products that costs so high because of their quality or rarity. But Crapple products are manufactured in Chinese sweatshops like any other cheap phone yet these people are believing that they are superior only because they cost more.

I remember an incident from my childhood. When I was around 12 years, my friend came to me showing a new electronic watch he just bought. It was a simple one with plain time display. He said it was 100 rupees. He got it from a carnival happening in nearby town. As the shops in carnivals sell over priced goods and his uncle who just returned from Dubai didn't mind the price, he got the 60 rupees worth watch for 100 rupees. I showed him mine which my dad bought me for 80 rupees from a local shop. Two things made him upset. My watch had light and it had some cartoon printed on the strap. That's it. He ran to his home and cried to his parents. They said something to pacify him. He came back that evening claiming that his watch is made in Japan and its light (which is not there) will work only during night, the battery will last for 15 years and so on. Also he had tried to draw some pictures on the strap with sketch pen as the marks said. I felt pity form him.

The above incident is the same that happens with Crapple users. They even attempt  to imitate others by jailbreaking, installing apps etc like my friend attempted to draw on his watch strap. But the difference is he was an innocent child who deserves sympathy but Crapple users are cunning selfish idiots who don't deserve sympathy.

You may think I am another guy who couldn't afford to buy an iPhone and just venting my anger on everyone who can buy one. But In reality, if I have that much money I will invest it on something worthwhile like books or music instruments and settle with a sub 10K phone. If you are a person who got infected by Crapple users and not yet able to take a decision, then just open your eyes and think twice before you act. For Crapple users, my advice is "Baahhh.... Meeehh..." Forget it... They are just a herd of sheep!