IT firm booked for stealing voter data to benefit TDP

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, March 3

The Telangana Police today registered a case against a city-based information technology company on charges of allegedly stealing voter data through a mobile application “Seva Mitra” that was used by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh.

Reacting to the development, Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister N Lokesh, who is also the son of Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, said the Telangana Police was “harassing” the companies that were hired to curate the information whose complete rights were held by the party.

In a series of tweets, Lokesh said the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) should not forget Newton’s third law that says every action has equal and opposite reaction. He said a false complaint has been lodged under various sections of the IPC and the IT Act on the frivolous and fake complaint of a TRS worker.

The complainant told the police that he found on the official Facebook page of the TDP that party cadre were using certain mobile phone and tab-based software applications, especially “Seva Mitra” app, for “advancing party’s electoral prospects”.

The complainant alleged the firm was given access to enormous amount of official data with respect to beneficiaries of various government schemes and also private data of individuals, including Aadhaar numbers.

“Following registration of a case, police conducted searches (Saturday). The searches are going on today also,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Madhapur Division) N Shyam Prasad Rao.