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<ul><li>The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is set to enforce new <keyword id="6427652" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SIM" source="Orion">SIM</keyword> rules in the country.</li><li>The new SIM rules come into effect from December 1, 2023.</li><li>Here’s everything you need to know about the new <keyword id="12120183" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="SIM-card-rules" source="Orion">SIM card rules</keyword> in India.</li></ul>India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is all set to enforce new rules for SIM cards, starting from December 1, 2023. The rules were announced on August 1, 2023 and were scheduled to come into effect from October 1, 2023. However, this was delayed by two months and is now coming into effect. The new SIM card rules are aimed at dealing with frauds such as the<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/delhi-woman-loses-50-lakh-in-sim-swap-scam-heres-how-you-can-stay-safe/articleshow/104745898.cms"> SIM swap scam</a>, fake SIMs and other online frauds. The new SIM card rules have been framed around issuance of new SIM cards. Here’s everything you need to know about the new SIM card rules: <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="E-KYC" comment="subhead" text="E-KYC">E-KYC</cmsannotation> E-KYC or digital KYC has been made mandatory, for both new SIM cards and for those looking to get a SIM of their existing number. This means that you can no longer just give a copy of your ID proof to get a SIM card. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bulk SIM cards" comment="subhead" text="Bulk SIM cards">Bulk SIM cards</cmsannotation> The new rules also impose restrictions on the issuance of bulk SIM cards. While individuals with businesses will still be able to procure bulk SIMs, regular users will be restricted to getting up to nine SIMs on a single ID. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Re-issuance of inactive SIM" comment="subhead" text="Re-issuance of inactive SIM">Re-issuance of inactive SIM</cmsannotation> SIM cards that have been deactivated cannot be re-issued for a period of 90 days, allowing ample time for users to get them re-activated, without having to worry about the SIM being issued to someone else. This is very important at present when a mobile number is connected to multiple services, which can be used just with OTP numbers. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="SIM dealer verification" comment="subhead" text="SIM dealer verification">SIM dealer verification</cmsannotation> Starting from December 1, 2023, only authorised dealers will be able to issue SIM cards to customers. To ensure this, individuals must undergo a comprehensive verification process. Telecom operators will be required to register franchisees, distributors and point-of-sale (PoS) agents to prevent issuance of SIM cards to suspicious individuals. Individuals engaging in issuance of SIM cards without registration may face a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/car-and-suv-prices-set-to-rise-in-january-2024-should-you-buy-one-in-december/articleshow/105556415.cms">Car prices set to rise in January – Should you buy one in December?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/upcoming-smartphones-launching-in-india-in-december-2023/slidelist/105611827.cms">From Redmi to Vivo – Smartphones set to hit the Indian market in December</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/webstories/fpi-boost-adani-power-idfc-first-bank-paytm-see-the-highest-increase-in-sept-holdings/slidelist/105592840.cms">FPI boost: Adani Power, IDFC First Bank, Paytm see the highest increase in Sept holdings</a>

New SIM card rules from Dec 1 include bulk purchase restrictions – All you need to know

<ul><li><keyword id="144117" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="aadhaar" source="Orion">Aadhaar</keyword> has become one of the most important documents in our lives.</li><li>Sharing of Aadhaar with others is risky as it could result in misuse – even the government admitted to it before hastily retracting its statement.</li><li>A <keyword id="6972072" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="masked-aadhaar" source="Orion">masked Aadhaar</keyword> can be used to prevent misuse of your personal information.</li><li>Here’s how to download a masked Aadhaar.</li></ul>Aadhaar has become one of the most important documents in India and it is something that we often use, whether it is opening a bank account, getting a SIM card, applying for a credit card or while applying for a driving license. An increase in usage of Aadhaar has also made it prone to misuse. To prevent this, the <keyword id="86474" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="unique-identification-authority-of-india" source="Orion">Unique Identification Authority of India</keyword> (UIDAI) had introduced masked Aadhaar. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is a masked Aadhaar?" comment="subhead" text="What is a masked Aadhaar?">What is a masked Aadhaar?</cmsannotation> If you wish to share your Aadhaar with someone but wish to prevent misuse of your information, you can share a masked Aadhaar with them. A masked Aadhaar adds a layer of security by concealing the first eight digits and showing only the four digits. For example, a masked Aadhaar will show your Aadhaar number as “xxxx-xxxx-1234”. The other details in your Aadhaar, such as your name, address, date of birth will remain the same, allowing you to use it as an address proof in banks and other such institutions. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How to download masked Aadhaar?" comment="subhead" text="How to download masked Aadhaar?">How to download masked Aadhaar?</cmsannotation> <ul><li>To download your masked Aadhaar, you need to go to UIDAI’s myAadhaar <a href="https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/">website</a>.</li><li>Scroll down and click on the “Download Aadhaar” option on the left side.</li><li>Now, enter your Aadhaar number, Enrolment ID or Virtual ID.</li><li>Enter the captcha and click on “Send OTP”.</li></ul>You will now get a checkbox that asks – “Do you want a masked Aadhaar?” <div type="image" title="Aadhaar" msid="92061394" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Masked Aadhaar&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <ul><li>Select the checkbox and enter the OTP that you have received on your registered number.</li><li>Now, click on “Verify and Download”.</li></ul>Your masked Aadhaar is ready to use. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/apple-ios-16-update-here-are-the-new-features-eligible-devices-and-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/92055179.cms">Apple announces iOS 16 update – here are the new features, eligible devices and everything you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/poco-f4-expected-to-launch-soon-in-india-specs-expected-price-and-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/92039569.cms">Poco F4 expected to launch soon in India – specs, expected price and everything you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/nothing-phone-1-display-specifications-leaked-ahead-of-launch-heres-everything-we-know-so-far/articleshow/92029049.cms">Nothing phone (1) to launch this week – everything we know so far about the device</a>

What is masked Aadhaar card, why do you need it and how to download it

<ul><li><keyword id="4009819" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Pay">Amazon Pay</keyword>, <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> <keyword id="418872" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-wallet">digital wallet</keyword> in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, is rolling out user verification (KYC) for its customers.</li><li>Reportedly submitting biometrics using <keyword id="144117" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="AADHAAR">Aadhaar</keyword> credentials is a faster process for verification than other physical documents. </li><li>But concerns related to Aadhaar aren’t about its convenience, but about its security.</li></ul>Amazon Pay is the next digital wallet to roll out physical customer verification — but there’s a catch. If you use your <keyword id="6356006" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aadhaar-card">Aadhaar card</keyword> for verification, the process is a lot quicker than if you other methods of verification — passport, drivers license, voter ID, or bank statements. It’s not really Amazon’s fault because the biometric verification through Aadhar is simple matter of verifying your fingerprint through a fingerprint reader. But, with other physical documents, the company needs people on the ground to verify the authenticity of the documents. Simply put, the verification through Aadhaar is a lot cheaper for Amazon as compared to using other documents for physical verification. Amazon Pay and other digital wallets have to enforce user verification in line with the Reserve Bank of India’s new policy on data localisation. Not an Amazon-specific problem India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, rolled out its data localisation policy rendering 95% of mobile wallets in the country vulnerable to being shut down. The directive of the policy makes it mandatory for all digital wallets to have biometrics or physical customer verification in place. Even PayTM nudged its users into adopting KYC in order to continue using their wallets. If your PayTM account isn’t verified, you can still receive payments from other users and make payments at retail outlets using the QR-code but you can’t send out money to other users directly. Other digital wallets like MobiKwik have shifted to diversifying themselves because they haven’t been able to push their customers towards KYC norms with RBI’s February deadline coming up. The case with Aadhaar India’s top court has already ruled that private companies can’t make it ‘mandatory’ for Aadhaar to be the only method of user verification. But that doesn’t negate it as an option. The issue that people are facing with Aadhaar isn’t whether or not it’s convenient, but whether or not it’s safe. The series of data breaches associated with the Aadhaar system didn’t happen through actual government database, but through third-party organisations that were using Aadhaar information as user identification. A <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/80-people-concerned-about-aadhaar-data-security-study/articleshow/64382747.cms">study </a>by Velocity MR estimates that as many as 80% of respondents in India are concerned about data security when it comes to giving out their Aadhaar card information anywhere. It’s not just about identity theft but information being leaked that leads to customers being spammed over text and email — or even phished. This is probably why Amazon is looking to roll out its own Unified Payments Interface (<keyword id="6358921" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="upi">UPI</keyword>) because, in that case, KYC isn’t mandatory for setting up an account. The verification done by the respective banks is enough. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/in-india-amazons-fight-is-not-just-with-flipkart-but-with-paytm-google-pay-and-truecaller/articleshow/67456165.cms">In India, Amazon's fight is not just with Flipkart, but with PayTM, Google Pay and Truecaller</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-government-portal-leaks-8-9mn-aadhaar-details-again/articleshow/63924186.cms">Indian government portal leaks 8.9mn Aadhaar details, again</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/supreme-court-clarifies-that-aadhar-isnt-mandatory-for-a-new-sim-connection/articleshow/63928188.cms">Supreme Court clarifies that Aadhar isn’t mandatory for a new SIM connection</a>

This is why Amazon wants your Aadhaar number

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Donald Trump boasted about Mar-a-Lago being a "highly secured facility" in a Truth Social post.</li><li>In reality, there have been concerns about security at Mar-a-Lago for years.</li></ul>Former President Donald Trump boasted about Mar-a-Lago being highly secure in <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/109699378981418781">a Truth Social post</a> on Monday, despite past evidence that it was anything but secure."Mar-a-Lago is a highly secured facility, with Security Cameras all over the place, and watched over by staff &amp; our great Secret Service," wrote Trump. "I have INFO on everyone!"In the post, Trump compared Mar-a-Lago to President Joe Biden's "flimsy, unlocked, and unsecured" private residence in Wilmington, Delaware.The post appeared to be in response to claims by the White House that there were <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64293743">no visitor logs available</a> for Biden's private home, where <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/complete-timeline-biden-classified-documents-second-batches-2023-1">multiple classified documents have been found.</a>Trump's comparison seemed to overlook a <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/05/mar-a-lago-visitor-logs-secret-service-trump-243478">Secret Service official saying in 2017</a> that there were no visitor logs or other systems for tracking visitors to Mar-a-Lago.It also ignored ample reporting over the years that showed evidence of lax security at the Florida residence. This was recently spotlighted by the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whats-next-in-dojs-trump-investigation-mar-a-lago-docs-2022-9">Justice Department investigation</a> into the mishandling of classified documents and presidential records at Mar-a-Lago.<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/15/us/mar-a-lago-trump-documents.html">The New York Times reported</a> that of the more than 100 classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, most were located in a non-secure storage area. Documents labeled "Top Secret" were kept among beach chairs, umbrellas, and cleaning supplies in an area that may have been accessible to resort guests, The Times found.During its August 2022 raid, FBI agents found classified documents in Trump's "45 Office" — located above Mar-a-Lago's main ballroom. The Times reported that it was unclear if there was security in place to separate partygoers from Trump's office.Guests at Mar-a-Lago were only 60 feet away from the documents at times, according to The Times. Mar-a-Lago, which was once <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mar-a-lago-is-a-counterintelligence-nightmare/2019/04/10/93cb0bfa-5ba9-11e9-a00e-050dc7b82693_story.html">described by a former FBI agent as a "counterintelligence nightmare,</a>" also presented security concerns while Trump was in office.In 2017, Trump <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/13/politics/donald-trump-shinzo-abe-north-korea-documents/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> discussed a response to a North Korean missile test with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while sitting near other diners on a public patio at the Florida club.And in 2019, a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/11/25/782808594/chinese-woman-convicted-of-trespassing-at-mar-a-lago-sentenced-to-8-months-in-ja">Chinese woman</a> carrying five SIM cards, a hard drive, nine USB thumb drives, and a device that could detect electronic signals, was arrested after evading security. She was <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/11/15/yujing-zhang-convicted-of-mar-a-lago-trespassing-gets-deported/">convicted of trespassing and deported to China.</a>In May 2021, another woman, <a href="https://people.com/politics/fbi-investigating-woman-who-allegedly-faked-wealthy-heiress-persona-mingled-trump-mar-a-lago/">posing as a member of the famously wealthy Rothschild famil</a>y, was able to meet with Trump and his inner circle at Mar-a-Lago. In reality, she was a 33-year-old Ukrainian immigrant.Meanwhile, in November 2022, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, arrived for a dinner at Mar-a-Lago with several unannounced guests, including far-right figures Nick Fuentes and Milo Yiannopoulos. According to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/story-trumps-explosive-dinner-ye-nick-fuentes-rcna59010">NBC News,</a> their driver was waved into the resort after flashing a credit card instead of a driver's license.

Trump boasts that Mar-a-Lago was a secure place to keep classified documents, despite evidence that it clearly wasn't

After conducting in-depth tests on 1532 mobile towers, experts on Thursday said that low-powered, non-ionizing radiation emitted from the cell towers has no ill effects on human health. Officials said that the North East Licensed Service Area (NE-LSA) of the Department of Telecommunications has tested 1532 Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) from April to November this year and all the mobile towers have been found compliant as per DoT norms on electric and magnetic fields radiation. While addressing a webinar on electromagnetic radiations from mobile towers, Dr Tushar <keyword id="15608804" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kant-joshi" source="Orion">Kant Joshi</keyword>, Advisor, Ministry of Health and Director, OEM Programme, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, assured that "it has been found that low powered, non-ionizing radiation emitted from cell towers have no ill effects on human health" Referring to the scientific research, <keyword id="6157" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="joshi" source="Orion">Joshi</keyword> said that it becomes extremely essential to address the spread of misinformation and provide an authentic view of health concerns related to mobile towers. It is also important to be informed that no scientific or medical evidence is available to corroborate the argument used against mobile towers, he pointed out. Shillong-based Senior Deputy Director General of the North-East LSA Ravi <keyword id="6394938" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="goel" source="Orion">Goel</keyword> highlighted the need for telecom services in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and pressed on the challenges faced by the stakeholders of the industry. "We are venturing into an age of hyper-connectivity where the government is making every effort to densify telecom infrastructure and telecom towers as these are the backbone of Indian mobile communications. "In order to magnify the efforts, it is important that the fear surrounding the theories about ill effects of <keyword id="874194" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="emf" source="Orion">EMF</keyword> radiations from mobile towers are addressed factually to dispel such misconceptions," Goel stated. Deputy Director General of North-East LSA (Compliance) A.K.Jain said that the government has adopted one of the most stringent emission standards for mobile towers in the world. He said: "We follow norms that are 10 times stricter than what has been prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO globally. DoT continuously monitors the EMF emission levels from towers across India and ensures compliance with the stipulated emission norms throughout the country." The experts in the awareness event also mentioned that unscrupulous companies, agencies and individuals cheat the public by promising them hefty monthly rental payments for the installation of mobile towers. Such fraudsters ask the public to deposit money in their personal, and companies' accounts under various names against security deposits, application fees, registration charges, stamp duty, and government tax under Telecom Act among others. Further, it was also highlighted that use of telecom services through SIM cards and signals of foreign service providers in Indian Territory violates the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and persons involved in such types of acts are liable to punishment as per the act and other acts and rules. An official statement said that India holds the potential to lead the telecommunications technology sector across the globe. Misconceptions among a section of the population about the health hazards of EMF radiation should not override the factual information made available through scientific research. Eight High Courts of India have also upheld the same view and have delivered judgments that disprove all such unfounded fears and misguided activism that is posing a severe challenge to the overall growth and connectivity of the country, the statement said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/administer-one-additional-dose-of-measles-rubella-vaccines-to-children-in-vulnerable-areas-centre-to-states/articleshow/95731013.cms">Administer one additional dose of measles, rubella vaccines to children in vulnerable areas: Centre to states</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/private-sector-participation-in-space-sector-gaining-momentum-as-more-players-get-onboard/articleshow/95736481.cms">Private sector participation in space sector gaining momentum as more players get onboard</a>

Radiation emitted from mobile towers has no ill effects on human health: Experts

ReutersNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Monday.<ol><li><a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3andj/researcher-arrested-for-allegedly-teaching-north-korea-about-ethereum">An American researcher has been arrested for allegedly teaching North Korea about blockchain technology</a>. Virgil Griffith is believed to have given a presentation in North Korea in April on how blockchain technology could help the country and taken part in a discussion that touched on using it to evade economic sanctions, Vice reports.</li><li><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c3555a3c-0d3e-11ea-b2d6-9bf4d1957a67">China is trying to shape global standards for facial recognition technology, according to leaked documents obtained by the Financial Times</a>. The newspaper says firms such as ZTE and China Telecom are trying to set world standards in the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for facial recognition, video monitoring, city and vehicle surveillance.</li><li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-alphabet-antitrust-exclusive-idUSKBN1Y40NX">The EU is carrying out preliminary investigations into Google's data collection practices</a>. The European Commission told Reuters it wants to know how and why Google is collecting data.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intel-says-qualcomm-tactics-forced-it-out-of-modem-chip-market-2019-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">Intel says it sold its modem business to Apple at a 'multi-billion dollar loss' because Qualcomm 'strangled competition'</a>. Intel said it was forced out of the market because of Qualcomm's patent licensing practices.</li><li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-singapore-fakenews/facebook-issues-corrective-label-on-users-post-under-new-singapore-fake-news-law-idUSKBN1Y4043">Facebook has complied with Singapore's fake news law by flagging a post said to contain false info</a>. On Friday, the Singapore government asked Facebook to issue a "correction notice" on a post that contained accusations of election rigging and the arrest of a purported whistleblower, Reuters reports.</li><li><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-01/china-starts-new-identity-check-measures-for-sim-card-buyers?srnd=technology-vp">Chinese telecoms carriers are now required to use facial recognition tech on buyers of SIM cards</a>. According to Bloomberg, the new law comes after a notice issued in September by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information.</li><li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-technology/china-seeks-to-root-out-fake-news-and-deepfakes-with-new-online-content-rules-idUSKBN1Y30VU">State regulators in China have announced strict new rules about content created with virtual reality or AI</a>. Use of AI or VR in online video or audio content must be clearly marked, with the rules coming into force on January 1.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-strikes-and-protests-sweep-across-europe-on-black-friday-2019-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">Thousands of people across Europe went on strike and protested against Amazon on Black Friday</a>. Unions in the UK, France, and Spain staged protests outside Amazon warehouses on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/playstation-5-ps5-design-photo-devkit-images-12">The PlayStation 5 is still a year away, but game developers already have their hands on an early prototype</a>. Video game creators already have their hands on Sony's upcoming hardware, and an image of the PS5 prototype surfaced on social media.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jony-ive-after-apple-celebrities-models-designers-2019-11">Legendary iPhone designer Jony Ive has been hanging out with celebs, models, and designers since announcing his departure from Apple</a>. Ive has been spotted at various creative and tech-related events in the UK this year.</li></ol>Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.You can also <a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/free">subscribe to this newsletter</a> here - just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/safest-walk-ice-penguin-2017-2">The safest way to walk on ice is to impersonate a penguin</a></h3>

10 things in tech you need to know today

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Apple is investigating an issue with the iPhone 7 that can cause the device to struggle to reconnect to a network after disabling Airplane Mode, <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/19/iphone-7-no-service-airplane-mode-issue/">MacRumors reports</a>.The site says enabling Airplane Mode works as normal to disable network access, but some customers have complained it won't reconnect after the mode is turned off.MacRumors says Apple has instructed licensed repair centres to encourage customers to restart their devices, and then to remove and reinsert their SIM card if the problem persists.Here's a video showing the problem affecting an iPhone 7, but not an iPhone 6s:<div></div>Apple has already promised to fix a different bug with the iPhone 7. Several customers complained&#xa0;<a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/apple-lighning-earpods-volume-bug-to-be-fixed-in-update-2016-9">the Lightning EarPods that come bundled with the iPhone stop working properly </a>after a few minutes. Audio continues to play, but the volume control buttons stop working. Apple said on Monday it is working on an upcoming software update to fix the issue.That's not the only problem with the iPhone 7, though. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/hissgate-iphone-7-phones-making-weird-hissing-noise-owners-say-buzzgate-2016-9">Multiple customers have complained about a hissing noise in the device</a> when it's working hard. It seems like the problem is mainly affecting iPhone 7 Plus models, but it's still unclear exactly what the issue&#xa0;is.Here's what the hissing noise sounds like:<div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/monster-floor-cleaner-cleanses-grout-dirt-army-2016-9">This monster floor cleaner is incredibly satisfying to watch</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9hOGJvNTE6QHQODH9H_TrrX1k46f8E2b" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Apple is reportedly investigating an iPhone 7 bug that can cause it to lose signal after coming out of Airplane Mode

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Microsoft is getting closer to having its own competitor to Apple Pay.Last month, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUwie6HFHjs">it showed off</a> a "tap to pay" feature baked into Windows 10 phones during a conference for Windows hardware makers in China, the WinHEC conference.With a bit of sleuthing, banking consultant Faisal Khan, <a href="http://www.faisalkhan.com/blog/2015/3/30/microsoft-forays-into-the-world-of-payments-gets-their-1st-money-transmitter-license-1">found evidence</a> that Microsoft has already received approval from one state to fire up a payments transfer service: Idaho. But it's applied for licenses for transmitting money in all 50 states.We can probably safely assume that Microsoft's payment aspirations don't begin and end with retail stores in Boise, and that the service will be available throughout the US and elsewhere.Here's the video it showed (which is in Chinese, but you'll get the idea):<div><div></div></div>During that conference, it also showed off a slide that told a little bit more about the service, <a href="http://bgr.com/2015/03/23/windows-10-vs-apple-pay-vs-samsung-pay/">posted by BGR.&#xa0;</a>The slide said that Microsoft's Tap to Pay will use technology that won't require the carriers to do get involved and add support for it. In geek speak, it will use Host Card Emulation that won't require a Secure Element on a SIM card. It will also use NFC, the same wireless tech used by iPhone and Android.Officially speaking, Microsoft would neither confirm nor denied that an Apple Pay competitor was soon to be launched.&#xa0; It told us "Becoming a money service business gives us the flexibility to provide new, innovative cloud services to our customers but we do not have any product announcements at this time."The fact that Windows Phone devices will have their own payments mechanism shouldn't be surprising. Some Lumia phones could be used for mobile payments until just a few days ago through an app from a company called Softcard, a joint venture from&#xa0;AT&amp;T, Verizon and T-Mobile. But Google<a href="https://gigaom.com/2015/02/23/google-buys-softcard-teams-up-with-carriers-on-mobile-payments/"> bought Softcard in February </a>and recently revoked the app that served Windows phones.In January, <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/16/microsoft_and_paypal_gang_up_on_apple_pay/">Microsoft also partnered with PayPal</a>&#xa0;to start supporting PayPal Here hardware.And all of this was foretold last fall when Apple launched its Apple Pay service. Bill Gates said at that time <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-apple-pay-is-a-fantastic-idea-2014-10">he thought Apple Pay was a "fantastic idea"</a> and that all smartphones would one day do the same. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-earth-would-look-like-if-ice-melted-world-map-animation-2015-2">Animated map of what Earth would look like if all the ice melted</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5xam5iczrSx4Ibx8MvarDsu3zOG88omE" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

As Bill Gates promised, Microsoft will soon have its own Apple Pay alternative

It was a few days before the ongoing India-Australia series that bookies (a slang for bookmakers who accept bets on sports results) from metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Jaipur moved to smaller and comparatively less popular towns like Ratnagiri, Nashik, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Belgaum. Once there, they purchased new SIM cards, opened new ledgers and started new accounts for their regular customers. 
 
In the recent past, this has happened before every important series, and now, with the ongoing India-Australia series and the soon to come Indian Premier League (IPL), they could not have taken any chances. They move to smaller towns so that they can hide from the prying eyes of law enforcement agencies, even if it means spending a lot and moving abroad. 
 This happens because <keyword id="1084645" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports-betting">sports betting</keyword> is illegal in India, except in the state of Sikkim, where it was recently legalized. Once caught, bookies come under the risk of seizure of equipment and cash, penalty and even jail terms, which can vary from two months to three years. 
 
This relocation and deception has made it difficult for authorities to nab them, and as per an anonymous Mumbai police officer, the only solution to control illegal cricket betting is to legalise and regulate it. 
He says so because he feels that once betting is legalised, licensed bookies themselves will come to the police and help them stop illegal betting, a threat to them. 
 
On January 4, a three-member panel which was appointed by the Supreme Court also recommended the same thing about cricket betting. The panel was headed by Chairman RN Lodha and was set up to investigate the IPL match-fixing scandal of 2013; it was also asked to suggest ways to improve the functioning of the BCCI. 
 
The Lodha panel took a realistic view on betting, and said that BCCI should have an "in-built mechanism" which can make sure that no players or administrators bet on matches. 
 
"It's both positive and negative," former cricketer and BJP MP Kirti Azad told ET. He himself is fighting alleged corruption in the Delhi &amp; District Cricket Association. "By legalising cricket betting, the government would receive more taxes. At the same time, legalised betting may attract a lot of poor people." 
 
As of now, horse-racing is only sport in India where gambling is allowed, because the law deems it as a game of skill rather than a game of chance. However, it clearly means that betting in all other sports, especially cricket, has thrived secretly. 
 
As per FICCI estimates, India’s betting market is worth at least Rs 3,00,000 crore, with 80% share owned by cricket. If cricket betting is legalized, the Centre can earn as much as Rs 20,000 crore. 
 
<a href="http://mrcrickettipster.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/26-1424946287-cricket-betting-bangalore-ccb-police-arrested-3-bookies2-600.jpg">Image source</a>

Here’s what you need to know about ‘legalised’ cricket betting

<keyword id="6354356" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="BlackBerry">Blackberry</keyword> has launched its latest Android-based smartphones in India - the DTEK50 and the DTEK60 and the company mainly focused on the security aspect of the two new phones. DTEK50 is priced at Rs. 21,990 and will go on sale in the country from this weekend while the DTEK60 is priced at Rs. 46,990 and will go on sale from December. 
 
This time around Blackberry’s main feature is security. The company did talk about other features like 21MP camera, expendable storage but it stayed focused on security aspect of their new phones, Alex Thurber, Senior VP, Global Device sales at Blackberry said “I think we as an industry have failed in being able to make people understand just how important security is, I think we are now catching up on that.. we (Blackberry) aren’t focused on just - for eg. selfie flash, yes we have one but that’s not our whole marketing campaign instead we are looking at productivity and security and empowering the users to manage their own life” 
 
The two new phones will have Blackberry’s security app ‘DTEK by BlackBerry app’ that can tell a user how secure their phones are at all time. The app will also tell users how the different apps on their phones are using the information on their phones. Although Blackberry has licensed their Hub+ technology across all Android, BB's Hub shows all your mail and social media notifications in one interface, but DTEK security app is only available on the new Blackberry phones and the Blackberry Priv. The company finds the Android platform perfect in order to focus on software, Alex said, “We are also focused on android because we understand the need for apps, I see android as a great opportunity for us to continue to grow because it gives us access to a wide range of device types, allows us to focus on software and others to focus on the hardware” 
 In a quick view we can see the two phones do come with some fine features, BlacKberry DTEK50 is a single-SIM phone with 5.2-inch full-HD, 3GB of RAM, powered by a 1.2GHz octa-core <keyword id="104695" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Qualcomm">Qualcomm</keyword> Snapdragon 617 SoC and has a 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera. The phone has a 16GB of inbuilt storage exendable to up to 2TB, 2610mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0, the claims it can charge 80% of the battery in 25mins. The high-end phone, BlackBerry DTEK60 has a bigger display with 5.5-inch QHD and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC. The phone has 32GB of inbuilt storage expandable via microSD card up to 2TB with 4GB of RAM. The smartphone also boasts of a 21-megapixel rear camera with PDAF, dual-tone LED flash, and features the 8-megapixel front camera. The phone comes with 3000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 that can provide almost 15 days of standby time. 
 
Blackberry also accepted that the reason Blackberry’s first tryst with Android, Blackberry Priv, didn’t do well was the high pricing of the phone and even though Blackberry has packed quite a few features that are certain to interest buyers like selfie flash, superior rear camera and expendable memory we’ll have to see if there are takers for the DTEK60 that’s priced at Rs. 46,990, even when the company claims it is a fully secure smartphone.

At a time when smartphone makers are selling smartphones for the camera, design and headphone jack, BlackBerry goes big on security aspect of their new phones

<keyword id="30351" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BSNL">BSNL</keyword> showcased negligent behaviour on Twitter by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/india/comments/82ogk6/rip_privacy/">sharing</a> a customer's information publicly without regard for the consequences. The client wished to enquire where their recharge amount has disappeared, to which BSNL responded by posting his usage script on the platform. Not only did this include his phone number and recharge amount, but the types of services and timestamps as well. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
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Source: Reddit BSNL has already been under pressure with regards to <keyword id="6355135" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Privacy">privacy</keyword> after <keyword id="6280817" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="baptiste-robert">Baptiste Robert</keyword>, with the alias <a href="https://twitter.com/fs0c131y?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbeebom.com%2Fbsnl-database-hacked-employees%2F">Elliot Alderson</a> on Twitter, hacked into a multitude of BSNL websites. He apparently took advantage of a number of severe flaws in the company’s intranet to get complete details about <a href="https://beebom.com/bsnl-database-hacked-employees/">47,000</a> BSNL employees. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The tweet is no longer visible but that doesn’t take away from the callousness what the incident. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 The BSNL story Robert <a href="https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/bsnl-intranet-hacked-company-fixes-leak-after-alert-by-researcher/63159693">shared</a> that he had informed BSNL of their security issues and informed them that their subsidiary websites intranetuk.bsnl.co.in and intranethr.bsnl.co.in had been subject to ransomware. This oversight happened despite <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/opinion/columns/bsnl-cyber-security-could-have-been-fixed-two-years-ago/story/272034.html">Sai Krishna Kothapalli</a>, informing BSNL about the same problem two years prior to Robert’s follow-up. There were two more incidents where BSNL’s security was compromised, albeit not as severe. The first, where their real-time bandwidth monitoring system was available publicly and second, where directories of BSNL documents were accessible on the web for anyone to see. Robert was able to get his hands on the names of all the employees by gaining access to BSNL’s intranet by using a malicious code. Through that, he was able to attain their personal information like cell phone numbers, dates of birth, salaries and compensation. The state-owned telecommunications company issued a statement saying, “BSNL, being one of the largest Telecom Operators in India, is fully prepared to prevent any data loss related to its employees, customers or stakeholders.” Lapse <keyword id="187124" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Data-Protection">data protection</keyword> This is not the only vulnerability in the network of publicly owned online portals in the country. Robert had also <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/bsnl-intranet-hacked-company-fixes-leak-after-alert-by-researcher/articleshow/63158522.cms">informed</a> the Bengaluru City Police, Telangana government as well as the Punjab Police about the gaps in their security. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 A <a href="https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/over-53000-cyber-security-incidents-observed-in-2017/62852357">report</a> by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) shows that in 2017 alone, there were a whopping 53,081 cyber security incidents. The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) has reported that there have been a total of 12,317 cyber crime cases registered in 2016. As of now, India doesn’t have any laws that explicitly address data protection or privacy. Even the Indian Constitution doesn’t unequivocally grant the “right to privacy.” The <a href="http://www.dot.gov.in/sites/default/files/itbill2000_0.pdf">Indian IT Act 2000</a> does cover civil and criminal penalties for disclosure and misuse of personal data, but has largely been <a href="https://indiankanoon.org/doc/76191164/">negligent</a> in implementing their policies and maintaining a reasonable environment of security. This has resulted in criminals taking advantage of loopholes in the system. BSNL isn’t alone With respect to mobile service provides, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have also faced scrutiny for not being diligent about their security practices. Just last year, Jio was the victim of a <keyword id="6360618" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-leak">data leak</keyword>, where they first claimed that the information was <a href="https://thewire.in/155957/reliance-jio-data-leak-user-privacy/">unsubstantiated</a> and later filed a report with the authorities. Their findings exhibited that it was a case of ‘<a href="https://gadgets.ndtv.com/telecom/news/reliance-jio-user-data-leak-police-say-case-of-unauthorised-access-not-theft-1724093">unauthorised access</a>’ rather than ‘theft’. Nonetheless, the leak contained information that was sensitive, such as Aadhar card numbers and PAN details, pertaining to Jio customers.

BSNL revealed a customer's private data on Twitter to answer query

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">Jim Edwards / BIThat's me with founding editor Jim Edwards drinking tea for the first time in our new office.</div></div></div>I just moved to London to help Business Insider open its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-business-insider-london-office-2014-6" target="_blank">new office</a>, and I couldn't be more excited! Or exhausted.
Picking up your life and moving to a different country is a lot of work, even if you speak the language.
I had the advantage of studying abroad in London during the summer for a couple months six years ago, so I knew the general lay of the land. But this trip is different. I plan to stay and work for a year, and this time I have no credit card from mom and dad nor a school network of friends.
If you're a world traveler, some of this may seem like novice advice, but having never moved farther than Connecticut to New York, this was a BIG move. And I've learned a lot along the way. Here are some notes on my adventures so far.
Before you go
One of the biggest hurdles is getting the Visa, that tiny piece of paper that makes everything else possible. I was fortunate enough to have the support of my company, which pushed through most of the paperwork and handled the fees. I couldn't imagine going through that process alone.
Once you have the Visa and know about how long you plan to stay, make yourself a checklist to tie up loose ends at home. Are you going store big furniture or have it shipped? Are you going to keep your apartment and sublet it or let your lease expire? Many of these questions depend on your financial situation and how your company is willing to help you out. I rented a locker in Manhattan to store most of my furniture and moved out of my apartment when the lease was up in April into an AirBnb.
If you're not holding onto your apartment, make sure give the post office an address where you feel safe having your mail collected, like your office or your parent's home address. Do the same thing with your bank and utility companies to make sure you don't miss any important notices or bills, though it's wise to settle all bills before you leave.
Get a credit card that has no <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> fees. You won't be able to get new cards from a bank in your new country immediately, so this is important. Also, let your bank know you'll be traveling so they don't freeze your cards.
Travel with some foreign currency. The cab might not take a credit card or your card might not be accepted at the ATM - it's just a good backup.
I didn't make myself crazy doing research about apartments before I left because I knew had a temporary place to stay and apartment-hunting in a foreign country is one of those things done best by hitting the ground. I wanted to get a feel for each neighborhood before settling down in one place. You can ask people for tips on where to live, but I found that everyone gives different advice because everyone has different taste preferences. Sometimes you just need to find what you like and go with that. It's not a bad idea to check the crime rate though.
Luggage
I brought three suitcases, including one carry-on and a backpack that was probably the weight of a small child. This was not ideal, but there are few other options when you're moving to another country by yourself. You can either ship stuff (so expensive it doesn't even feel worth it) or buy all new clothes there (a fun thought but so expensive you might then not be able to afford a place to live.)
Every airline has their own baggage rules, but Delta only allows one "free" checked bag and charges $100 for the second one. You'll also get slammed with a fee if your bag is over 50 pounds. Your bag won't be allowed to fly if its over 70 pounds. I suggest weighing your bags before leaving for the airport to spare yourself the trauma of rejiggering things at check-in so that you make the cut (yea, that happened.)
The Flight
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">Dina Spector/Business InsiderThe most important document you'll need for traveling overseas.</div></div></div>This was pretty standard for economy class. There was a blanket and pillow waiting inside a plastic bag when I got to my seat and TV screens on the back of each head rest. The movies were free. I slept through dinner and woke up around snack time - a croissant and yogurt.
London is five hours ahead of New York, so it was morning when the plane landed. Immigration was surprisingly fast despite being jumbled into a line with all nationals besides those in the EU. Why are here? Work. Where do you work? Business Insider. Approved.
Reserving a taxi ahead of time was the best decision of my trip and much cheaper than taking a black cab from Heathrow. After strolling through border control and grabbing my overweight suitcases at baggage claim, I was relieved to see a man holding up a sign with my name on it. Please, take these awful bags from me. At last, I was almost home.
Bank Account
The big banks in the UK are HSBC, Barclays, Bank of Scotland, and Lloyds. Opening a bank account is not hard as long as you have a visa and letter of employment and residence from your employer. One bank turned me away because my letters, though completely legitimate, were not up to snuff by their standards. The next bank gladly took me in. So, if first you don't succeed, try another bank. It only took two days to get my new cards. Once you open a U.K. account you can generally move money from your U.S. account through online banking, though it can take some time for the funds to transfer over. I took a bank check as a back-up in case the funds didn't transfer, but it turns out that the check can take up to six weeks to clear, so that ended up being somewhat unhelpful.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">Dina Spector/Business InsiderA typical crosswalk in London. There are reminders to look left or right since most people in the world are used to driving on the right-hand side of the road and looking in the opposite direction.</div></div></div>
Phone
I kept my iPhone 5 but had to unlock it in order to get a U.K. SIM card. If you're not at the end of your two-year contract, you can pay a fee to unlock your phone early, depending on the provider. Once it's unlocked you can put any SIM card into it. It's common to get monthly pay-as-you-go SIM cards in the U.K., meaning you're not stuck in a long-term contract. 
Cars
They drive on the left-hand side of the road, obviously. As a pedestrian, it seems easier to get hit in London than New York City. Maybe because the streets are so narrow. And every road is curved - so you can never see what's coming at you from round the corner. Watch out.
Weather
Everyone warned me that it rains a lot in London. After a week, I can verify that this is true. The morning sunshine will tease you into thinking it's going to be a warm, clear summer day, but by the afternoon, the clouds will have rolled in along with a few showers. Best to just bring an umbrella with you whenever you step out of the house.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image">Dina Spector/Business InsiderThey sell wine in grocery stores.</div></div></div>
Supermarkets
Sainsbury (pronounced "sanez-brie") and Tesco are the main grocery store chains. Tesco is a bit lower-end. It reminds me of 7-11 but has more food. You can go to Waitrose for the fancy stuff. It's equivalent to a Whole Foods. For the most part, you can find the same food here that they have in States, just under different labels. One plus: Grocery stores sell wine. Like, aisles of wine.
Getting Around
London is fairly walkable and, like New York City, each neighborhood has a distinct flavor. You can easily lose your sense of geography if you're constantly traveling underground, but taking the iconic red buses is a good way to see how all the districts connect, with posh parts of town flowing directly into more edgy areas.
But back to the Tube. The system itself is extremely easy to navigate. Different lines are color coded and the station stops are well marked. The one thing that tripped me was actually paying to get on the Tube. In fact, I stared at the card-dispensing machine so long that it prompted someone behind the counter to come over and help me. In London, most people use the Oyster card. It's the same thing as a MetroCard: You put money on the card and swipe (or tap a touchpad in this case) to get into the tube system. The difference is that an Oyster card charges you by distance. It's not a flat rate for a single ride like the MetroCard. The farther you go, the more you pay. Riding from Zone 1 to Zone 2 is cheaper than riding from Zone 1 to Zone 5. This actually makes sense. Shouldn't you pay more if you're riding a longer distance on the train? But it does complicate things when buying a card because you have to think ahead about your travel plans. You can pay-as-you-go, but that could be more expensive than buying a monthly Oyster card, which also isn't cheap. <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword> is roughly double what is in New York City. A 7-day unlimited Oyster card costs around £30 ($51) and a 30-day unlimited card is around £120 pounds ($204). Ooph.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">Dina Spector/Business InsiderA pub in East London, where my flat is located.</div></div></div>
Pandora
YOU CAN'T GET IT! They don't have licenses here yet.
Public Bathrooms
Instead of sneaking into a hotel lobby or a Starbucks to use the bathroom, London actually has public restrooms dotted around the city, which you can pay something like 50 pence to use. I think this is a great idea. New York City should take note. I would be willing to pay a small amount of money for access to a clean bathroom while running around the city.
Sundays
In New York City, we have Sunday brunch. In London, they have Sunday BBQs.
Weird Sayings
I haven't been here long enough to pick up any weird sayings or pronunciations. So far, I've only been told by our own Jim Edwards that I was pronouncing "Sainsbury's" wrong (it's not "sanez-berry's," as it turns out; see above).
But I still have time.

I Just Moved 3,000 Miles From NYC To London - Here's What I Learned

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"></div></div>The smartphone is ubiquitous, addictive and transformativeTHE dawn of the planet of the smartphones came in January 2007, when Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, in front of a rapt audience of Apple acolytes, brandished a slab of plastic, metal and silicon not much bigger than a Kit Kat. "This will change everything," he promised. For once there was no hyperbole. Just eight years later Apple's iPhone exemplifies the early 21st century's defining technology.Smartphones matter partly because of their ubiquity. They have become the fastest-selling gadgets in history, outstripping the growth of the simple mobile phones that preceded them. They outsell personal computers four to one. Today about half the adult population owns a smartphone; by 2020, 80% will. Smartphones have also penetrated every aspect of daily life. The average American is buried in one for over two hours every day. Asked which media they would miss most, British teenagers pick mobile devices over TV sets, PCs and games consoles. Nearly 80% of smartphone-owners check messages, news or other services within 15 minutes of getting up. About 10% admit to having used the gadget during sex.The bedroom is just the beginning. Smartphones are more than a convenient route online, rather as cars are more than engines on wheels and clocks are not merely a means to count the hours. Much as the car and the clock did in their time, so today the smartphone is poised to enrich lives, reshape entire industries and transform societies--and in ways that Snapchatting teenagers cannot begin to imagine.<h3>Phono sapiens</h3>The transformative power of smartphones comes from their size and connectivity. Size makes them the first truly personal computers. The phone takes the processing power of yesterday's supercomputers--even the most basic model has access to more number-crunching capacity than NASA had when it put men on the Moon in 1969--and applies it to ordinary human interactions (see pages 21-24). Because transmitting data is cheap this power is available on the move. Since 2005 the cost of delivering one megabyte wirelessly has dropped from $8 to a few cents. It is still falling. The boring old PC sitting on your desk does not know much about you. But phones travel around with you--they know where you are, what websites you visit, whom you talk to, even how healthy you are.The combination of size and connectivity means that this knowledge can be shared and aggregated, bridging the realms of bits and atoms in ways that are both professional and personal. Uber connects available drivers to nearby fares at cheaper prices; Tinder puts people in touch with potential dates. In future, your phone might recommend a career change or book a doctor's appointment to treat your heart murmur before you know anything is amiss.As with all technologies, this future conjures up a host of worries. Some, such as "text neck" (hunching over a smartphone stresses the spine) are surely transient. Others, such as dependency--smartphone users exhibit "nomophobia" when they happen to find themselves empty-handed--are a measure of utility as much as addiction. After all, people also hate to be without their wheels or their watch.The greater fear is over privacy. The smartphone turns the person next to you into a potential publisher of your most private or embarrassing moments. Many app vendors, who know a great deal about you, sell data without proper disclosure; mobile-privacy policies routinely rival "Hamlet" for length. And if leaked documents are correct, GCHQ, Britain's signals-intelligence agency, has managed to hack a big vendor of SIM cards in order to be able to listen in to people's calls (see page 23). If spooks in democracies are doing this sort of thing, you can be sure that those in authoritarian regimes will, too. Smartphones will give dictators unprecedented scope to spy on and corral their unwilling subjects.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><h3>The naked app</h3>Yet three benefits weigh against these threats to privacy. For a start, the autocrats will not have it all their own way. Smartphones are the vehicle for bringing billions more people online. The cheapest of them now sell for less than $40, and prices are likely to fall even further. The same phones that allow governments to spy on their citizens also record the brutality of officials and spread information and dissenting opinions. They feed the demand for autonomy and help protest movements to coalesce. A device that hands so much power to the individual has the potential to challenge authoritarianism.The second benefit is all those personal data which companies are so keen on. Conventional social sciences have been hampered by the limited data sets they could collect. Smartphones are digital census-takers, creating a more detailed view of society than has ever existed before and doing so in real time. Governed by suitable regulations, anonymised personal data can be used, among many other things, to optimise traffic flows, prevent crime and fight epidemics.The third windfall is economic. Some studies find that in developing countries every ten extra mobile phones per 100 people increase the rate of growth of GDP-per-person by more than one percentage point--by, say, drawing people into the banking system. Smartphones will remake entire industries, at unheard-of speed. Uber is a household name, operating in 55 countries, but has yet to celebrate its fifth birthday. WhatsApp was founded in 2009, and already handles 10 billion more messages a day than the SMS global text-messaging system. The phone is a platform, so startups can cheaply create an app to test an idea--and then rapidly go global if people like it. That is why it will unleash creativity on a planetary scale.By their nature, seminal technologies ask hard questions of society, especially as people adapt to them. Smartphones are no different. If citizens aren't protected from prying eyes, some will suffer and others turn their backs. Societies will have to develop new norms and companies learn how to balance privacy and profit. Governments will have to define what is acceptable. But in eight short years smartphones have changed the world--and they have hardly begun.Click <a href="https://subscriptions.economist.com/nwcd">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist This article was from The Economist and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.<div class="KonaFilter image-container nc_pixel"><div class="image"></div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/inventor-auto-tune-music-kanye-west-t-pain-andy-hildebrand-2015-2">Here's the unlikely story of how auto-tune was created</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="hvOGE1czq9Y2lLOX0M4NZLaRu-dBP8ZI" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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