Using biometrics to monitor citizens, a la Aadhaar, isn’t the only way a government can snoop on people. There’s always your smartphone.
The video (above) was released by Privacy International, a London-based organisation that describes its function as “investigating the secret world of government surveillance and expose the companies enabling it”, as a part of their campaign against government hacking.
“Sometimes the government wants to protect our safety, but sometimes our safety isn’t their concern at all. In fact their goal can be to identify weak points in order to take advantage of you,” comes the ominous yet familiar warning.
Once your device is compromised, so is all your data and, by extension, so are you. The video delves into the various possible ways in which your data can be misused by the government, which includes – and is not limited to – gaining access to emails, texts, photos, browsing data and even contacts. And unfortunately, it can get worse.
“Your government can literally take control of your device by switching on mics and cameras without you knowing it. A government can even delete, alter or place content on that device,” the video says.
Watch this video (below) to know more about their campaign:
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