Table of Contents
What has happened?
- The National Informatics Centre has launched an instant messaging platform called Sandes on the lines of WhatsApp.
- Like WhatsApp, the new NIC platform can be used for all kinds of communications by anyone with a mobile number or email id.
- The National Informatics Centre, a branch under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology handles the backend of the Sandes Application.
Why has NIC launched this instant messaging platform?
- Following the nationwide lockdown imposed in March 2020 to contain the spread of Covid-19,
- The government felt the need to build a platform to ensure secure communication between its employees as they worked from home.
- After security scares, the Ministry of Home Affairs had in April last year issued an advisory to all government employees to avoid using platforms like Zoom for official communication.
- This was after the Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In) had also posted an advisory against Zoom over safety and privacy concerns.
In work for last 4 years
- The idea for a secure communication network dedicated exclusively to government employees has been in the works for the past four years.
- The execution of the idea was accelerated during the last year, according to officials.
- In August 2020, the NIC released the first version of the app, which said that the app could be used by both central and state government officials “for intra and inter-organisation communication.”
- The app was initially launched for Android users and then the service was extended to iOS users.
- The launch of the app is also a part of the government strategy to push for use of India-made software so as to build an ecosystem of indigenously developed products.
- Open initially only to government officers, it will soon be released for the common public as well.
What is different in the new app developed by NIC?
- The instant messaging app, called Sandes, has an interface similar to many other apps currently available in the market.
- Although there is no option to transfer the chat history between two platforms, the chats on government instant messaging systems or GIMS can be backed up to a users’ email.
- GIMS, like other instant messaging apps in the market, uses a valid mobile number or email id to register the user for the first time.
- It also offers features such as group making, broadcast message, message forwarding and emojis.
- Further, as an additional safety feature, it allows a user to mark a message as confidential, which, the app’s description says, will allow the recipient to be made aware the message should not be shared with others.
- The confidential tag, however, does not change the way the message is sent from one user to another
limitations
- The limitation, however, is that the app does not allow the user to change their email id or registered phone number.
- The user will have to re-register as a new user in case they wish to change their registered email id or phone number on the app.
- “You (Facebook and WhatsApp) may be a $2-3 trillion company, but people value their privacy more than money,” SC told Facebook and WhatsApp while issuing the notice.
- WhatsApp had earlier announced that it would bring a new privacy policy and implement it from February 5.
- But after the government’s notice, the date was extended to May 14.
- It is worth mentioning that WhatsApp’s new privacy policy is different for India and Europe.
Q) How can the High Court Judge be removed?
- Resolution passed by the general majority of the Parliament
- By the Supreme Court on the advice of the President
- Resolution passed by the special majority of the respective state
- Resolution passed by the Parliament With a special majority
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