In the absence of a data protection regime, there have been growing instances of websites and apps using loopholes to manipulate data for various advertising purposes. According to a recent survey by LocalCircles, 53% of citizens surveyed have seen advertisements on the web/apps, based on their phone conversations at least once in the last 12 months. More than 38,000 people responded to the survey, of which 48% hail from Tier-I cities, 27% from Tier-II cities, and 25% from Tier-III and Tier-IV cities and rural districts.
Many apps ask for permission to utilise the user’s microphone; yet, in many cases, users are unaware of why their phone’s microphone is being used or where this data is being shared, aside from the service they desire. A handful of them go so far as to record a user’s voice, infringing on privacy rights. For example, some users have claimed that Truecaller, the caller-identification app, provides personally identifiable information, such as the name associated with a mobile phone number and, on occasion, employment, email address, and even employer’s name, without the user’s consent.
While 28% of respondents have seen ads based on private phone calls on a regular basis, 19% have had comparable experiences multiple times. Only 6% of citizens claimed it has “happened a few times”, while only 24% indicated it has never happened.
According to some reports, turning off the microphone can help prevent apps from listening in on private discussions. Many apps, however, use the phone’s microphone for speech to text, call, record voice, and so on, so it’s not a feasible alternative for them.
The survey further indicates that a majority of Indians have given their mobile microphone access for audio/video calls, social media, and audio recording apps. There were only 11% of citizens who have not given their microphone access to any apps, while 18% did not have an opinion. Around 84% of smartphone users have granted access to their contact list to WhatsApp, 51% have given it to Facebook or Instagram, or both; whereas 41% have given access to apps like Truecaller.
Governments all across the world are cracking down on firms that exploit people’s personal information. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which went into effect in 2018, is one of the most prominent laws that pertain to data collection. The ‘Personal Data Protection Bill 2019’ is yet to be approved by the Indian Parliament, and the Joint Parliamentary Committee has been meeting with various stakeholders since 2018. The Bill aims to establish legislative and statutory protection for users’ or citizens’ personal information, and recognises the protection of personal data as a right of individuals.