Activists Seek ECI Clarification Over Private App Displaying Electoral Roll Data
In July, data privacy activists and volunteers in Hyderabad and Karimnagar sought urgent clarification from the Election Commission of India regarding a private mobile application displaying Special Intensive Revision electoral roll data. The app, which is available on Google's Play Store, has caused anxiety and panic among the public regarding their voter status and raised serious concerns over data privacy.
The application displays Special Intensive Revision (SIR) related information, including the classification of an elector's enumeration form under Categories 1, 2, and 3. Volunteers assisting the public with the voter roll revision process discovered the app and questioned how it obtained access to the sensitive data.
M.A. Mujeeb, an activist who runs Adalah, a volunteer organisation in Karimnagar, has been assisting a large number of people in filling out SIR enumeration forms. He stated that there is an urgent need for clarity on how the application is accessing voter-related information.
According to Mujeeb, many people have been sharing screenshots of the app. He noted that while some individuals felt relieved because they believed they might not have to submit documents, others became highly anxious about whether the status shown on the app was different from their actual status.
Hyderabad-based data privacy activist S.Q. Masood also sought clarification from the Election Commission of India (ECI) through a social media post. Masood stated that a private app is showing the current SIR data and status of people marked under Category 1, 2, and 3, which has caused panic among the public.
Independent researcher Srinivas Kodali raised broader concerns about the security of the electoral data. He stated that the larger issue is the purpose for which SIR data could be used, questioning whether voter data is going to be used for other applications. Kodali added that the ECI should make it clear what it is doing to ensure that SIR data is used exclusively for the revision exercise.
