Russian Tech Giant in Hot Waters over Privacy Concerns

It seems that privacy apps being developed in Russia have failed to impress the mass market. Russia loves to remain in the news for reasons come what may. First the country stole the spotlight when it decided to ban top 15 torrent websites even before the start of the New Year.

This time around, Russia has once again in the spotlight. Infowatch, one of the Russian tech giants has come under severe criticism for its latest communication and facial recognition apps, which are being used by the companies to intercept their employees’ communication and personal information. The criticism has taken Natalya Kasperskaya – the business woman behind Infowatch by surprise.

The severity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that Russian public as well as the higher authorities have showed grave concerns about the intercepting apps, citing such inventions as a ‘clear invasion and breach of their privacy’.

It is to be noted that Infowatch is not the first company to devise intercepting applications. There are companies working outside Russia that have a full range of intercepting applications available and they are used for the same purpose.

After its inception in the year 1997, Infowatch the company, has made tremendous progress becoming one of the leading manufacturers of devices that protect information leaks and have found an appeal in corporate sector around the world.

As the situation stands today, the Russian Communication Minister Nikolai Nikiforov has called for the adoption of a court ruling to tap phone calls by the organizations. The Speaker of Duma, the lower house of the parliament said that ‘he feared misuse of such technologies, which will lead organizations nowhere.’

Amid the ongoing pressures from all fronts, the company has stopped the development of voice recognition system. The system is in high demand in both public and private sector firms. But for now, the company has been forced to halt the development process. But the company is going to continue targeting some selected phone numbers, only after getting consent from the employees working in organizations.

It is interesting to note that the Russian people, including the politicians, corporate sector executives, and others have been under constant surveillance since the year 2007.

Recently, Russia has also face criticism for FindFace, a controversial photography app for smartphones. The app has gained immense popularity since it was launched earlier this year, in February. This app is found its uses in security agencies and in match-making businesses as well.

But the popularity has also brought a bad name for the app. Recently, two people were arrested for setting fire on a construction site, when they found their pictures via FindFace. Some people also use this particular app for pose threats to other people.

Now, that’s really a bad situation that needs to be addressed timely and effectively. Will Russia continue to ban smartphone apps for violating citizens’ privacy? Will the organizations bow down to the pressures from the government and the public employees?

Only time will tell. Let’s wait and watch.