From spy satellites to mammoth data-crunching super-programmes to a mike-equipped pen costing '200, governments, interested parties, rivals and enemies use just about every device to gather intelligence. Nothing that you, as a private individual, do, is private anymore.
Espionage involves accessing the place where information is stored — through bugging or similar means — or securing information from people through various means. This second clause opens up the world for spies.
Your computer is the biggest giveaway. Every alphabet that you type, every byte of information that you store can be accessed, either while it is being transmitted or from the memory devices in your computer, laptop or your smartphone.
Every conversation you have on your phone can be tapped, recorded and assessed for information. Every little bit of data on the phone can be accessed through “backdoors” left open by manufacturers .
Worse, websites that you routinely use hand over all the information they have on you to governments or interested commercial corporations. Or they use the information themselves to make money.
What is more, your mobile doesn’t make you very mobile: Your location can be triangulated to within 100 metres using cellphone signals. In a sense, you are never alone.
Once outside, you can be tracked not just by your mobile but even by satellites or surveillance cameras or even just a snoop standing by your doorside. These days, there could be the odd drone tracking you.
But then, your home offers no shelter either. Someone can simply plant a bug inside, that transmits every word spoken. Reputedly, even Union ministers are not immune.
How to beat the system
Antivirus legend John McAfee claims that he has created a $100 hardware router which will block snooping by the U.S.’ National Security Administration New Internet architecture is being
developed to minimise American spying.
Google has rolled out the beta version of an anonymising proxy service, called uProxy. But Google is allegedly a partner to the NSA in PRISM project. There are other anonymiser browsers like Tor.
But then while the NSA is trying to take it down, U.S. agencies are funding it.
Germany and Brazil want a U.N. Resolution for internet privacy. European and Latin American countries are thinking of joining the effort.
Russia and Germany have switched to typewriters to type out important documents, to avoid electronic snooping.
Point & Counterpoint
India is a democratic country and every citizen has his/her freedom ensured by the Constitution. No one, including the government, has any right to pry into the private life of citizens. With the recent revelations, it has become a very important and serious issue.
If the bugging incident has happened, then it is a clear violation of the provisions enshrined in the Constitution. It becomes even more serious when questions are being asked on who was responsible, and why the government is silent.
If it is being done by foreign agencies, then the entire country is in danger. If it is being done by any domestic agency, then doubts go straight to the highest executive.
People want to know the reasons for the bugging. Are the ministers being bugged to put them on a leash? If this is true, then there is no need for ministers in the government. The government can be run through bureaucrats. It also shows that ministers are not reliable.
The silence of the Prime Minister on the issue is deafening. Denial by a minister in the government is not sufficient. A high-power inquiry should be set up.
RAASHID ALVI Senior Congress leader
As told to Mukesh Ranjan
The Opposition, mainly the Congress, has no issue and is therefore banking on a non-issue in its desperate bid to try to corner the government.
The government has already spoken on the bugging issue. The Union minister (Nitin Gadkari) has made it clear that there was no bugging at his residence and the media report was highly speculative.
Even then, the Opposition kept raising the issue in Parliament and kept disturbing the House proceedings. Actually, the Congress is shadow-boxing over the Leader of Opposition issue. It’s not the alleged bugging, which never happened, but the LoP issue that is bothering the Congress. It is trying hard to raise a non-issue but knows very well that it will have no result as nothing happened and the report was false.
In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition doesn’t have the numbers. So it raised this issue in the Rajya Sabha. Home minister Rajnath Singh made it clear that no such incident took place. But the Congress kept insisting on a debate and didn’t allow the House to function. There were so many important issues to be taken up, but it kept insisting on a debate.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
National vice-president,BJP
As told to Yojna Gusai
