Off the grid

In the recent past India has emerged the world leader for many reasons TikTok app downloads black tea production and Internet shutdowns It accounts for 67 per cent of the total shutdowns recorded worldwide In 2019 the government has shut off internet services over 100 times and it shows no sign of stopping as the strength of antiCAA and NRC protests continues to rise all over the countryRitesh BhatiaBut where there is a will to strike there is also a way out of technological disruption Another cause for concern besides the shutdown is the Personal Data Protection Bill that was introduced in Parliament on December 11 that gives the government power to access private data in the interest of public order or national securityFirechat offers a connection up to 200 feet Groups are restricted to 50 peoplePic courtesy Play storeCommunication is key to dissent and thatrsquos why in 2014 when prodemocracy protestors took to the streets an app called FireChatrsquos popularity rose The application which enables people to send messages without an active Internet connection via Bluetooth is also finding currency in India And so have similar apps like Bridgefy Signal Offline Vojer and Briar ldquoThese apps operate on a peertopeer model They do not use your telecom service provider or ISP and instead function with the help of your radio signal which is primarily Bluetooth or WiFi Direct You should download them irrespective of a shutdown mdash it could be helpful in a hijack on an aircraft for instancerdquo says Ritesh BhatiaSignal Offline lets you communicate via WiFi Direct in a range of up to 100 metres Images and videos are shared without resizing or rescaling Pic courtesy Play storeThe citybased cybercrime investigator and cybersecurity consultant who has been using Bridgefy lately also elaborates on the disadvantages that go beyond a restrictive radius mdash FireChat for instance lets you connect with people within 210 feet ldquoTraps can easily be created in case of a protest since authorities can be in the same proximity Malware can also easily be embedded Plus as a cybercrime investigator going about forensics is a challenge since these companies do not have officesrdquo he statesStaying secureAvailable on iOS devices only Vojer doesnrsquot have a signup process It is priced at Rs 599 pic courtesyapp storeCheck if your app has an inbuilt app lock and activate it if it does This will help avoid unauthorised accessEnable twofactor authentication So in a situation of unrest if you have logged off an app and are being forced to give access you can make your excuse of forgetting your log in details seem more genuineDisable your notifications when your screen is locked This is also useful when an OTP is sent to you and you donrsquot want anyone to see itAlways update your apps Many people disable the autoupdate feature thinking it drains the battery but you can also schedule updates over WiFi Updating is not just about an improvement in features and is more to do with building additional security For instance if you have 1000 people complaining about a bug on WhatsApp then the company is going to fix that bug in its next updateCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates