The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services: Government on NaMo app

After a French security researcher accused PM Modi of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies, the government has given clarification dismissing the allegations. 

A statement released by the government stated that the "Narendra Modi App is a unique App, which unlike most Apps, gives access to users in ‘guest mode’ without even any permission or data. The permissions required are all contextual and cause-specific. For example, a selfie campaign requires access to the camera and/or photo gallery."

The statement further read: "Contact access is required to connect with friends or fellow party workers on the New India connect module. If a person has entered his email address and date of birth, he receives a personalised birthday greeting from the PM. Each function asks for the specific permission when access is required. The app does not ask for blanket permissions when the app is started."

Narendra Modi App provides a platform for millions of his fans and party cadre to connect directly with the Prime Minister. It is a "one of its kind" app which enables unprecedented engagement and interactivity. It is way different from the standard ‘one-way’ flow apps belonging to political leaders and parties possess. It has numerous features which comprise the best of features from social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, the statement mentioned.

About the allegations against the BJP leader, the statement said, "The data exposed by the French Twitter user is the data entered by the user on his own device. This is not a security breach. The person does not have access to any data apart from his own data."

"Data is being used for analytics using third-party service, similar to Google Analytics. The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services. Analytics and processing of the user data are done for offering users the most contextual content. This ensures that a user gets the best possible experience by show content in his/her own language," the statement said. 

'It also enables a unique, personalized experience according to a person’s interests. For example, a person who looks up content related to agriculture will get agriculture-related content prominently. A person from Tamil Nadu will get notifications in Tamil and get an update when the PM is in Tamil Nadu' it added.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accusing the BJP leader of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies.