Threat

After ⚠Hacker ⚠Threat, ✋Congress Deletes Its Official Mobile App📱

The Indian National Congress’ (INC) official mobile app ‘With INC’ seems to have disappeared from the Google Play Store, after an anonymous hacker who goes by the moniker Elliot Alderson on Monday alleged that the app was sending users’ personal data to Singapore. On the app being deleted by the Congress, Alderson (you can read more about him in our interview) speaking to ToI, said, “I think they got scared after my first tweet saying that I will look into their app.”

The vigilante hacker on Sunday had put out a message on micro-blogging site Twitter, saying he will publish “interesting details” about the Congress mobile app he’s found, on Monday.On Monday, Alderson alleged that when a user signs up for the Congress app, her/ his personal data which is not “encrypted” is routed to the app’s servers in Singapore. Congress social media head Divya Spandana, however, refuted the allegation: "Forget sharing, we don’t collect any data through the App. What a dimwit."

Monday’s development comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s app -- the NaMo app-- running into trouble for asking its users for a string of permissions including camera, photographs, location, contacts, and microphone & sharing user data with a third party in the US without the users’ consent.