AISA opposes UP Govt’s free mobile scheme, says breach of 1 crore students' privacy

NEW DELHI: All India Students’ Association (AISA) opposed the Uttar Pradesh government’s mobile and tablet distribution scheme saying that the device breached the privacy of students. AISA further alleged that the state is building a structure of surveillance and control.

Students who received the mobile phones from UP Chief minister Yogi Adiyanath’s government found a warning on their devices that read “This device is not private”, AISA said.

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The students’ association also alleged that the state government configured all the phones and tablets to give the data to the government and permission has been disabled to the students to change the settings.

“It has come to the notice of AISA through several IT experts writing on social media that UPDESCO, which has configured the devices, is violently breaching the privacy of the recipients,” AISA, Uttar Pradesh committee said.

Though the students can not deny permission to access their data, location, history etc, the state government has full access to the students’ data usage, call history, browsing history etc.

This means that the government intends to access the information and behaviour patterns of the 1 crore students, who will receive these devices.

Do you know, the UP govt in name of distributing mobiles & tablets to students of the state is building a structure of surveillance & control?

AISA opposes this Pegasus model of governance & demands the configuration of surveillance & control be immediately removed. pic.twitter.com/KDnhZ33f33

— N Sai Balaji | ఎన్ సాయి బాలాజీ (@nsaibalaji) December 27, 2021

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AISA further said that the “fundamental right of freedom and privacy cannot be snatched away”.

Yogi Adityanath on Saturday launched the campaign to distribute free tablets and smartphones to one crore students of the state on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 60,000 students have already received tablets and smartphones.