Policy
UIDAI security key in 13.8 lakh telecom biometric units: CEO
NEW DELHI: Nearly 13.8 lakh biometric devices in use by the telecom sector for Aadhaar authentication have been made compliant with UIDAI’s new encryption norms, according to CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey.
The move is aimed at adding a new device-level security layer at a time when Aadhaar-based e-KYC is being used by telecom industry for fresh connections and re-verification of existing mobile subscribers.
“In telecom sector, about 13.8 lakh fingerprint devices have been upgraded as registered devices with the new encryption key. Telecom industry is now fully compliant,” the UIDAI CEO told .
Overall, about 15 lakh devices have been “upgraded”, meaning that these devices, that were being used in the field for biometric authentication, have now been secured with a new layer of encryption.
All new biometric devices, as it is, have the latest encryption norms in place, Pandey added.
“In all, about 15 lakh devices have been upgraded out of 20 lakh such units in circulation in various sectors…many banks are also in the process of upgrading their biometric units,” he added.
Lauding telecom companies for completing the “massive” task of rolling out the new security feature in existing fingerprint devices, Pandey said encryption key will ensure that biometrics captured cannot be misused.
“This is like a third lock. One lock is in form of encryption at the time of biometric capture, then it gets further encrypted at level of the telecom operator, and then we have our own encryption,” he said.
Aadhaar-based e-KYC is essential for subscribers going for new SIMs.
Further, in early 2017, the government asked mobile operators to reverify all the existing prepaid and postpaid customers, with the help of the 12-digit unique identity number and biometric details.
The re-verification exercise is scheduled to be completed by early 2018.
UIDAI’s next priority would be to ensure compliance of new encryption norms in other user agencies like banks and various government offices, he added.
“We will soon take stock of those who have not complied and ask them to explain why it has not been done yet”, he said.
UIDAI is the nodal body responsible for rolling out Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number that identifies residents based on their biometrics.
While more than 118 crore Aadhaar cards have been generated in the country, 4 to 5 crore Aadhaar authentications are taking place everyday.
Source: Press Trust of India
HYDERABAD: A team from Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA) and Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) on Friday met Telangana Minister for IT and Industries K T Rama Rao and discussed a wide range of topics ranging from trade and economic cooperation to cultural exchange programmes.
An official release said the minister spoke about Telangana’s unique investment policy, TS-iPASS and also highlighted about creating a dedicated industrial park in the State for Taiwanese companies and jointly work with industry and trade organisations of Taiwan to take it forward.
The Telangana government has enacted the “Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self-Certification System (TS-iPASS) Act, 2014” for speedy processing of applications for issue of various clearances required for setting up of industries at a single point based on the self-certificate provided by the entrepreneur and also to create investor friendly environment in the State of Telangana.
Minister spoke about the vibrant industrial ecosystem in Telangana including that of Lifesciences, and ICT. Explained to the delegation about TS-iPASS, Hyderabad as the ideal destination for investments, and stressed on handholding SMEs. pic.twitter.com/BpxQEmTIMr
— Minister for IT, Industries, MA & UD, Telangana (@MinisterKTR) November 11, 2022
The minister also mentioned about the widespread use of IT and Electronics in all spheres of life right from Healthcare, Lifesciences, Automobiles, Defense & Aerospace, and the new age of startups working on Tech Innovation, and how the State succeeds in having their sectoral advantage.
Rama Rao explained the various measures adopted by the state government to improve the ‘ease of doing business’ in state and the prevailing conducive investor friendly ecosystem.
Source: Press Trust of India
News
Twitter adds ‘Official’ label for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, some other big verified accounts
NEW DELHI: An ‘Official’ label has been added to the Twitter handle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some other ministers as the US-based social media platform started rolling out a feature to distinguish between the Twitter Blue account and verified accounts.
Modi’s verified blue tick Twitter handle @narendramodi was marked ‘Official’ with a tick mark enclosed in a circle.
The same was label was also seen on the Twitter handles of Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and some other ministers.
Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, some other opposition party leaders as well as sportspersons like Sachin Tendulkar too were given that label.
This is in line with Twitter’s just-announced changes for verified accounts, as part of its new USD 8 premium subscription product.
The ‘Official’ label is given for select verified accounts including major media outlets and governments.
A lot of folks have asked about how you'll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the “Official" label to select accounts when we launch. pic.twitter.com/0p2Ae5nWpO
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 8, 2022
Twitter official Esther Crawford in a tweet said: “A lot of folks have asked about how you’ll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the ‘Official’ label to select accounts when we launch.”
“Not all previously verified accounts will get the ‘Official’ label and the label is not available for purchase. Accounts that will receive it include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures,” she said.
The new Twitter Blue, she said, does not include ID verification. “It’s an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features. We’ll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types.”
The changes come days after the world’s richest man Elon Musk took over Twitter Inc for USD 44 billion and brought in a slew of changes, including a subscription programme and a new verification system.
Update: https://t.co/fSYkpVJ1BD
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 9, 2022
He has announced a USD 8 per month price tag for the Blue Tick verification of handles.
Twitter’s chargeable blue tick verification service is expected to roll out in India in “less than a month”, Musk had said on Sunday.
“Hopefully, less than a month,” Musk tweeted in response to a Twitter user’s query on when the service is expected to be launched in India.
Earlier this month, Musk had announced that verification blue tick in front of a user’s name that authenticates an account will be charged USD 8 per month.
Twitter’s strategy to introduce a monthly charge for the verified badge has polarised users globally.
Musk, the CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc, completed his USD 44-billion takeover of Twitter in October-end, placing the world’s richest man at the helm of one of the most influential social media apps in the world. He also fired the social media company’s four top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal and legal executive Vijaya Gadde.
Twitter then proceeded to fire the majority of its over 200 employees in India as part of mass layoffs across the globe ordered by Musk who is looking to make the blockbuster acquisition work.
Source: Press Trust of India
NEW DELHI: Members of the parliamentary panel on IT on Friday expressed apprehensions about some provisions of the new draft telecom bill and sought details from the Telecom Ministry about how the law will ensure data safety and privacy, sources said.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology chaired by Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav met here for the first time after it was reconstituted and deliberated upon the draft telecom bill — circulated for stakeholder comments last month.
Top officials of the Telecom Ministry were present in the meeting and MPs across party lines raised questions about data safety and the privacy provisions in the proposed legislation and sought written reply from the ministry, sources said.
Some MPs also asked about the future role of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as the proposed bill’s provisions might reduce the regulator’s powers, sources said.
A few members suggested that the bill gives the administration overarching powers under the garb of national security but without adequate oversight mechanism.
Some members flagged that the definition of Over The Top (OTT) communication apps was not very clear, they said.
Some members wanted to know about possible health hazards when a large number of telecom towers for 5G and other services are coming up. They emphasised that there is a need to have adequate safeguards to tackle possible health and environmental hazards, sources added.
Senior officials of the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) who were present in the meeting took note of the issues and said they would come back with comprehensive responses, according to sources.
In the draft bill, the telecom department has also mooted a provision for the refund of fees in case a telecom or internet provider surrenders his licence.
Meanwhile, telecom service providers are pushing for OTT apps to be brought under regulation. They argue that apps offering services similar to them — say Whatsapp, Signal and other similar apps used for calling and messaging — should be subject to the same licence conditions as telcos, thus ensuring a level-playing-field for all technologies.
Source: Press Trust of India
