First published by Srinjoy Chowdhury, Times Now, Updated Nov 7, 2024, 01:24 IST

The Indian Navy, the Coast Guard and the Indian Air Force are likely to begin the process of termination of the contracts they had entered into with Uber very shortly. According to sources, “data access” was the issue, which could have security considerations. For, the data involving the family members of personnel of the three services would be available with Uber and it would be “insecure” considering the capabilities of hackers who can break into secure information

The agreement was to ensure that family members of personnel got access to comfortably priced transportation but there have been questions about data privacy.

While there may be data privacy issues involved, there is a feeling in the defence establishment that constructive criticism was the order of the day and disrespectful remarks were uncalled for though security issues needed to be looked at carefully. This was in response to posts in the social media about the linkup with Uber.

Earlier IAF had assured that it takes adequate measures ensuring digital security, no threats from MoU with Uber. The data is encrypted in such a manner that it is almost impossible to break the code. AES-256 encryption is extremely secure.

The IAF entered into an agreement with US-based cab service provider Uber on 18 October to offer convenient transportation options for Air Force personnel and their families. The matter has now sparked controversy on the issue of data protection, location tracking risks, and sharing and access of sensitive information by third-party apps.

Highly placed sources talking to The Sunday Guardian said “It is not right to claim that we (IAF) would go ahead with any such agreement which could jeopardise national security. We are well aware with the functioning and importance of digital security and cyber hygiene.”

On data protection, he said that “People talking about data leak and loopholes to national security with reference to this MoU should also think about the information that we share when we use food delivery apps like Zomato, Big Basket or other apps like Amazon and others. To say that the location of the concerned officer would be leaked is not the correct argument. The data is encrypted in such a manner that it is almost impossible to break the code. AES-256 encryption is extremely secure and is being used by banks and many other important departments.”

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256 bit encryption provides a high level of security through a combination of strong algorithms, effective key management, and robust encryption processes, making it a preferred choice for protecting sensitive information.