Question : Tek Fog App

Will the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware that an app called ‘Tek Fog’ which is capable of penetrating encrypted messaging platforms and secure social media conversations is being used to manipulate and exploit narratives on above said platforms and if so, the details thereof;

(b)the details of the measures taken by the Government after the exposure of the secret app ‘TekFog‘ which is allegedly used by the political operatives, affiliated with the National Political Party to artificially inflate the popularity of the party, harass its critics and manipulate public perceptions at scale across major social media platforms; and

(c) the details of the measures taken by the Government to protect the privacy of citizens from the illegal use of Tek Fog App?

(a) to (c): Government has noted the news articles about an App, namely, ‘Tek Fog’ that has been allegedly used to manipulate social media platforms. The said App is not present on any of the prominent online App Stores and APK stores. No technical vulnerability that makes social media intermediaries susceptible to manipulation as reported in the news articles have been reported to, or observed by, this Ministry.

‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. States/UTs are primarily responsible for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crimes through their Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). The Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) at Centre and States take appropriate legal action as per provisions of law and when appropriate.

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