Another question that comes to mind is: how likely is it that zuckerberg is turning a blind eye to modi's known public manipulation methods - since there had to be somehing in it for modi:
Strange similarity between Modi’s methods and Mark’s mistakes
Both Narendra Modi and Mark Zuckerberg were on top of the world and nothing could possibly go wrong. Now both face growing challenges—one to his political leadership; and the other to his career
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Mala Jay
Published: 10 Apr 2018, 9:00 AM
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When Narendra Modi hugged Mark Zuckerberg onstage in September 2015, it had looked like the beginning of an intimate and potentially profitable partnership. Modi was the leader of the world’s biggest democracy, with 130 crore citizens. Zuckerberg was the CEO of the world’s biggest social media network, with 230 crore active users.
Both men were on top of the world and nothing could possibly go wrong. Even when Modi broke down in public while speaking of the sacrifices his widowed and poverty-stricken mother had made, it was said that his tears would cement the bonds of friendship.
Today, that emotional encounter at the Facebook headquarters in California seems a thing of the past. Things have changed dramatically. Both men are facing growing challenges—one, to his political leadership; and the other, to his corporate career.
For the first time since he was elected Prime Minister, Modi’s domestic political opponents are joining forces in an attempt to defeat him in a series of crucial regional and national elections in the months ahead.
Zuckerberg is being called into question for his business practices and made to testify in grueling Congressional hearings for two days this week. The stakes are high for Zuckerberg and the gigantic company he created, with lawmakers in America demanding answers about Facebook’s alleged improper privacy policies.
Zuckerberg has reasons to be apprehensive because the 33-year-old has never before testified on oath before the US Congress and all indications are that members from both parties are determined to ask tough questions.
Both men are facing growing challenges—one, to his political leadership; and the other, to his corporate career. For the first time since he was elected Prime Minister, Modi’s domestic political opponents are joining forces in an attempt to defeat him in a series of crucial regional and national elections in the months ahead. Mark Zuckerberg is being called into question for his business practices and made to testify in grueling Congressional hearings for two days this week
Media reports say the Facebook chief, who has hired leading lawyers and psychology consultants to prepare him for the hearings, have advised him on ways to minimise the damage to Facebook’s reputation and his own—by showing remorse and making it sound convincing.
One crisis communications expert has been quoted as saying: “I think personal demeanour and body language are very important. He has to try his best to appear humble, contrite and authentic. He should absolutely avoid conveying even the slightest degree of arrogance and glibness”.
Interestingly, similar advice would equally be applicable to Narendra Modi. His style of functioning has often been described as arrogant and authoritarian. Even his key party functionaries, especially next in command Amit Shah, have been known to speak in an abrasive manner—which may have impressed or intimidated voters in the past but is unlikely to be well received in the new atmosphere in which large sections of peasants and workers in rural and urban areas have been expressing their disillusionment.
Zuckerberg is being advised by his behavioural coaches to learn from the mistakes made by Microsoft chief Bill Gates when he was questioned by the US Congress in 1998. Gates was seen as boastful, haughty and overly sensitive to criticism and that eventually led to his business empire being carved up.
The main charge against Zuckerberg is that Facebook has illegally sold private data on more than 87 million Facebook users in the United States to the data firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 presidential election campaign.
In Modi’s case, too, the possibility cannot be ruled out that if his party, BJP, performs poorly in the upcoming elections in the southern state of Karnataka and subsequently in northern states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, murmurs of discontent and displeasure will be heard among stake-holders of the Sangh Parivar. The all-powerful parent organisation, the RSS, is already believed to be none-too-happy with Modi’s manner of dealing with the recent spate of social and economic strife
In an attempt to restore public confidence in Facebook’s unsavoury business practices, Zuckerberg has already launched a public relations drive and accepted personal accountability and responsibility for any perceived wrongs committed.
The Facebook CEO has also released an advance copy of what he will say in his opening testimony before US Committee on Energy and Commerce on Wednesday. The operative part of the six-page document goes like this:
“It was my mistake, and I’m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I’m responsible for what happens here. We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake.
“It’s not enough to just connect people, we have to make sure those connections are positive. It’s not enough to just give people a voice, we have to make sure people aren’t using it to hurt people or spread misinformation. It’s not enough to give people control of their information, we have to make sure the developers they’ve given it to are protecting it too. Across the board, we have a responsibility to not just build tools, but to make sure those tools are used for good”.
Even this strategy of humility has not prevented Facebook shares from suffering a heavy fall in the stock markets. The fears are that if his performance during the congressional hearings turn out to be poor, there could be a further slide in Facebook stocks —which could trigger demands from within the company’s stake-holders themselves that he should step down as chairman and CEO.
In Modi’s case, too, the possibility cannot be ruled out that if his party, BJP, performs poorly in the upcoming elections in the southern state of Karnataka and subsequently in northern states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, murmurs of discontent and displeasure will be heard among stake-holders of the Sangh Parivar. The all-powerful parent organisation, the RSS, is already believed to be none-too-happy with Modi’s manner of dealing with the recent spate of social and economic strife, which seems to be spreading across various parts of India.
Zuckerberg’s testimony on Tuesday and Wednesday is certain to be closely monitored and all the major cable TV news net-works have geared up for minute-to-minute coverage. How Zuckerberg will fare in the witness chair remains to be seen. Most commentators say that if Zuckerberg stumbles, the harm to his company could be severe. The same would apply to Narendra Modi—if he stumbles in his electioneering and handling of crises in the coming weeks and months, the harm to his party and to his own image could be severe.
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com...of-the-world-now-both-face-growing-challenges
- - - Updated - - -
Prime Minister Narendra Modi found special mention as Mark Zuckerberg put forth Facebook’s vision for the coming years.
Talking about how citizens are engaging with their government beyond the
ballot box, Zuckerberg said, “Beyond voting, the greatest opportunity is helping people stay engaged with the issues that matter to them every day, not just every few years at the
ballot box. We can help establish direct dialogue and accountability between people and our elected leaders. In India, Prime Minister Modi has asked his ministers to share their meetings and information on Facebook so they can hear direct feedback from citizens.”
Since taking over as prime minister, Modi has had a strong engagement with Facebook, including the hugely publicised Townhall meeting in the fall of 2015.
The statement also added that in Kenya, whole villages are using
WhatsApp, Facebook-owned messaging service, to communicate with each other and their representatives.
The social media czar was also quick to point out the power of a strong Facebook presence in winning elections around the world, something that India has been witness to since the run-up to the general elections of 2014. “ In recent campaigns around the world -- from India and Indonesia across Europe to the United States --
we’ve seen the candidate with the largest and most engaged following on Facebook usually wins. Just as TV became the primary medium for civic communication in the 1960s, social media is becoming this in the 21st century,”
Zuckerberg said.
The Facebook CEO said progress now requires “humanity coming together not just as cities or nations, but also as a global community.” He offered Facebook to bring people closer and together.
“When we began, this idea was not controversial. Yet now, across the world there are people left behind by globalization, and movements for withdrawing from global connection.”
https://www.google.com.bd/amp/s/m.h...acebook/story-mEbGWsZQ5Ct7v05RVMkvhO_amp.html
Hmmm,
elections .... candidate .... facebook ....
It appears that there was something in it for Modi - and Zuckerberg either got lost in the moment and slipped as he spoke on the issue .... or was brazenly peddling his wares directly to political candidates with a self interest.
WhatsApp security breach likely a government surveillance attack, company says
Posted Wed 15 May 2019 at 12:28am, updatedWed 15 May 2019 at 12:34am
WATCH
Duration: 35 seconds35s
VIDEO Human rights groups worry the breach could have a global impact
WhatsApp says a security breach of its messaging app had the hallmarks of governments using surveillance technology developed by a private company — and human rights groups may have been the target.....
WhatsApp is used by 1.5 billion people and has previously touted its high level of security and privacy
The spyware used was developed by Israeli cyber surveillance company NSO Group
Whats App said it was "deeply concerned about the abuse" of surveillance technology
The Facebook-owned company said it had notified the United States Department of Justice to help with an investigation into the breach, which was discovered in early May.
WhatsApp, one of the world's most popular messaging services, has encouraged its 1.5 billion monthly users to update to the latest version of the app, where it said the breach had been fixed.
It has previously touted its high level of security and privacy, with messages on its platform being encrypted end-to-end so WhatsApp and third parties cannot read or listen to them.
IMAGE Social media giant Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014 for $US19 billion.(Reuters: Dado Ruvic, Illustration)
A WhatsApp spokesman said the attack was sophisticated and had all the hallmarks of a "private company working with governments on surveillance".
It said it was "deeply concerned about the abuse" of surveillance technology, and it believed human rights activists may have been the targets of the breach.
"We're working with human rights groups on learning as much as we can about who may have been impacted from their community. That's really where our highest concern is," a spokesman said.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission, the lead regulator of WhatsApp in the European Union, said in a statement the vulnerability "may have enabled a malicious actor to install unauthorised software and gain access to personal data on devices which have WhatsApp installed".
Claims of 'chilling attacks on human rights defenders'
Scott Storey, a senior lecturer in cyber security at Sheffield Hallam University, said the attack appeared to be carried out by governments targeting specific people, mainly human rights campaigners.
"For the average end user, it's not something to really worry about," he said, adding WhatsApp quickly fixed the vulnerability.
"This isn't someone trying to steal private messages or personal details."
Earlier, the Financial Times reported a vulnerability in WhatsApp allowed attackers to inject spyware on phones by ringing up targets using the app's phone call function.
The newspaper said the spyware was developed by Israeli cyber-surveillance company NSO Group, and WhatsApp could not yet give an estimate of how many phones were targeted.
IMAGE WhatsApp says a vulnerability let mobile phones be infected with sophisticated spyware.(AP: Patrick Sison)
Asked about the report, NSO said its technology was licensed to authorised government agencies "for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror". It said it did not operate the system itself, and it had a rigorous licensing and vetting process.
"Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies," it said.
Amnesty International, which has previously reported being targeted by the software, is currently supporting legal action that would compel the Israeli Ministry of Defence to revoke the export licence of NSO Group due to its "chilling attacks on human rights defenders around the world".
"NSO Group sells its products to governments who are known for outrageous human rights abuses, giving them the tools to track activists and critics," Danna Ingleton, deputy director of Amnesty Tech, said.
Social media giant Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014 for $US19 billion ($27.38 billion).
Reuters
https://www.google.com.bd/amp/amp.abc.net.au/article/11113426
The question which i haven't yet seen anyone asking yet is:
Why did whatsapp have the ability to take control of people's phone operating systems in the first place?
Doesn't that make the app itself "spyware"?
“The attack has all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that
takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems,” a WhatsApp spokesperson told MarketWatch.
https://www.google.com.bd/amp/s/www...ory/guid/FA7579E4-7643-11E9-9CE1-9BD897F6B1CF
