Surajeet Das Gupta And Neha Alawadhi

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta And Neha Alawadhi

Tharoor's House panel on I-T meets cyber experts

Tharoor's House panel on I-T meets cyber experts

Rediff.com   14 Dec 2019

People familiar with the proceedings said independent cybersecurity experts from a private consulting firm, technology lawyers, government officials and WhatsApp representatives were asked questions about the Pegasus spyware and the larger issues surrounding surveillance, hacking and remedial measures.

Data Bill: Industry experts fear massive implementation hurdles

Data Bill: Industry experts fear massive implementation hurdles

Rediff.com   12 Dec 2019

If the Personal Data Protection Bill gets passed in its present form, a new class of companies and entities could emerge. The sole job of these new entities would be to manage the consent for data usage of a user.Banks, healthcare firms and fintech companies, among others, fear that sharing non-personal data with the government may hurt business interests. Banks also fear the threat of data misuse.

If Voda Idea shuts shop, Airtel to gain the most

If Voda Idea shuts shop, Airtel to gain the most

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2019

If Vodafone Idea shuts, a bulk of the high-paying ARPU customers will move to Airtel as Reliance Jio does not have a comprehensive postpaid offering like it, and have aggressively preferred to play in the prepaid market. The bulk of Vodafone Idea customers use 2G phones and only a few of them use data. It will be easier for Airtel to woo these customers as they can shift seamlessly to its 2G network without changing handsets or even SIM cards,

E-commerce, tech firms call for clarity on Personal Data Protection Bill

E-commerce, tech firms call for clarity on Personal Data Protection Bill

Rediff.com   5 Dec 2019

The biggest fear many of the e-commerce firms have is the possible requirement to change business models overnight, which would drastically increase costs as well as disrupt businesses.

Oyo brass Aditya Ghosh joins board, Rohit Kapoor becomes CEO

Oyo brass Aditya Ghosh joins board, Rohit Kapoor becomes CEO

Rediff.com   3 Dec 2019

Oyo has recently undergone large-scale corporate restructuring, setting up several subsidiaries and bifurcating operations globally.

Tech, service firms gear up for FASTag

Tech, service firms gear up for FASTag

Rediff.com   2 Dec 2019

Fintech giant Paytm claimed it is selling more FASTags than all the banks put together on a daily basis.

Reliance, Airtel and 2 others bid for three Anil Ambani group companies

Reliance, Airtel and 2 others bid for three Anil Ambani group companies

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2019

The three companies for sale are Reliance Communications, Reliance Telecom and Reliance Infratel.

The story behind Vodafone's fall in India

The story behind Vodafone's fall in India

Rediff.com   24 Nov 2019

Cut-throat competition, high spectrum costs, and frequent flip-flops in government policies have made it difficult for Vodafone to make money in the country.

Could have done more: WhatsApp on snooping row

Could have done more: WhatsApp on snooping row

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2019

In a communication to the ministry of electronics and information technology, the messaging service said it was committed to protecting the privacy of its over 400 million users in India.

Why air tickets in India are going cheap

Why air tickets in India are going cheap

Rediff.com   18 Nov 2019

Airlines say that they are keeping their fingers crossed for December - another peak period - when, based on current bookings, the air fares for those who buy early are more or less in line with last year.

Telcos told to clear AGR dues in 3 months

Telcos told to clear AGR dues in 3 months

Rediff.com   14 Nov 2019

However, the government is readying a relief package and it could include a cut in the licence fee to 5 per cent, two years' moratorium on paying spectrum charges with interest, and referring the GST tax refund issue to the Council.

Airtel bids for RCom spectrum, Jio seeks deadline extension

Airtel bids for RCom spectrum, Jio seeks deadline extension

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2019

It is believed that apart from Bharti Airtel and Bharti Infratel, there are four players that have made a bid.

The Pegasus mess: Has the govt actually spied on you?

The Pegasus mess: Has the govt actually spied on you?

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2019

This episode highlights that the country's surveillance systems are not robust enough to ward off and prevent such attacks in the future.

Delivery staff are among the worst affected by Delhi's air pollution

Delivery staff are among the worst affected by Delhi's air pollution

Rediff.com   11 Nov 2019

The delivery staff who drop off packages for online retail giants or food or ferry passengers around the city in their taxis are among the worst affected by the capital's foul air.

Why users are logging out of Twitter and joining Mastodon

Why users are logging out of Twitter and joining Mastodon

Rediff.com   11 Nov 2019

Recently, several Twitter users began migrating to the social networking platform after a protest that began with Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Hegde's Twitter account suspension, and moved on to a larger conversation about Twitter's policies being allegedly anti-Dalit and certain castes and religion.

Indian skies fall short on wide-bodied aircraft

Indian skies fall short on wide-bodied aircraft

Rediff.com   7 Nov 2019

The collapse of Jet Airways has everything to do with the falling number of wide-bodied aircraft.

Whatsapp Pay's India launch in jeopardy

Whatsapp Pay's India launch in jeopardy

Rediff.com   6 Nov 2019

Top officials in key ministries, including finance and IT, are of the opinion that a sensitive payments system such as UPI should not be on a platform whose security is possibly compromised.

Spyware row: WhatsApp downloads in India drop by a staggering 80%

Spyware row: WhatsApp downloads in India drop by a staggering 80%

Rediff.com   6 Nov 2019

On October 29, WhatsApp announced it was suing NSO Group for selling its software, Pegasus, which has the ability to compromise a device and get access to all of a target's data. Spooked by revelations that activists and journalists were spied upon by using NSO Group's spyware, many have moved to alternative messaging platforms such as Signal and Telegram.

WhatsAppgate: Foreign lobbies involved, believes govt

WhatsAppgate: Foreign lobbies involved, believes govt

Rediff.com   4 Nov 2019

Home ministry sources say there are fears that international lobbies might have been involved in spying, to create a narrative around Indian governance as well as the economy.

What Uber plans to do in India

What Uber plans to do in India

Rediff.com   4 Nov 2019

'12% of all our global trips are done in India.'