Category: Technology

Technology

How to avoid online frauds and scams: Pro Tips

Editor

Earlier this month, UP (Uttar Pradesh) Police’s Special Task Force (STF) busted a pan-India online fraud racket which had allegedly duped thousands of people within the country as well as overseas by using their credit and debit card details to shop online. Last year, reportedly 3.2 million debit cards in India were compromised by hackers. Mumbai Police, in a bid to raise awareness on cyber security released a video starring actor Ajay Devgn on micro-blogging site Twitter last week, urging people not to reveal any sensitive bank information. The Mumbai…

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Social Media used by militants to copy IS modus operandi: Govt

Editor

Even as the J&K Government has already indicated that it may continue with the social media ban in Kashmir, intelligence reports have suggested that “active and prominent” militants have been using social media platforms for enhancing their appeal and extending outreach. The intelligence agencies have also pointed to attempts by militants to “copy the modus operandi” of ‘extremist and violent’ organisations like the ISIS by the “misuse” of Internet-based social media services. This has been revealed by the government in a report submitted to the High Court to defend the…

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Govt’s Social Media ban goes for a toss as netizens turn to VPN

Editor

The month-long ban imposed by the Jammu and Kashmir government on social media applications and internet sites to curb the unrest in the Valley has come a cropper with almost everyone accessing these platforms using Virtual Private Networks. The state’s Home department, through an order issued on April 26, had banned 22 social media applications and sites, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter in a vain bid to curb the street protests in Kashmir. “In the interest of maintenance of public order, the government hereby directs all internet service providers that…

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16-year-old develops Kashbook, Kashmir’s own Facebook, after government banned social media websites

Editor

Meet the 16-year-old Zeyan Shafiq who created KashBook, Kashmir’s own version of Facebook, and launched mobile app for it too. Three weeks since the Jammu and Kashmir government banned 22 social media services, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, the valley has come up with its own version of Facebook. A 16-year-old boy from Anantnag district of Kashmir division developed Kashmir’s own social networking website and launched it within a week of the social media ban. Zeyan Shafiq, who finished his 10th standard exams few months ago, along with his now 19-year-old…

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Ransomware: What you need to know about this new cyber threat

Editor

What is WannaCry? WannaCry, also known as WanaCrypt0r 2.0, WannaCry and WCry, is a form of “ransomware” that locks up the files on your computer and encrypts them in a way that you cannot access them anymore. Ransomware is a program that gets into your computer, either by clicking on the wrong thing or downloading the wrong thing, and then it holds something you need to ransom. How does it work and spread? The WannaCry program encrypts your files and demands payment in bitcoin in order to regain access. Security…

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Kashmir’s answer to Govt’s Social Media Ban: VPN

Editor

Valley users greet Mehbooba Govt from Japan! Since the government imposed social media ban on 22 popular networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp, the tech-savvy youth have switched to use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and Remote Desktop Protocols (RDP) to surpass the limitations setup by the government over the internet. Despite the ban, Facebook and Twitter timelines could be seen full of rants against the government for banning social media. The irked youth were all praise of the Virtual Private Network Applications and posts like ‘VPN Zindabad’ and…

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Post 2 days ban, Separatists active on social media: Admin informed ECI

Editor

In the report, the State Government also asserted that “certain elements have also resorted to use of force which has a demoralising effect on the overall environment in the area.” Two days after banning social media networking sites in Kashmir, the J&K administration informed the Election Commission of India that “separatist and anti-national elements” have launched “extensive anti-poll campaign” on social media. On April 26, the Government imposed a ban on transmission of messages or pictures through 22 social networking sites including widely-used Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. However, on April…

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How Kashmiris are dodging the social media gag?

Editor

The state government directed internet service providers to block 22 social networking platforms to clamp down on tensions spurring clashes between security forces and civilians. However, a day after the ban was imposed, people found a way around the gag. Kashmiris are turning to freely available technology to beat a government ban on websites such as Facebook and Twitter, undermining efforts to tamp down on the spread of videos and images that, officials believe, fan tension. “Even before the ban was announced, we knew that there are alternative ways of…

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Social media ban: Some Kashmiris baffled, others suggest ways to defy it

Editor

The Jammu and Kashmir home department ordered a suspension of 22 social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, QQ, WeChat, QZone, Tumblr, Google+, Baidu, Viber, Line, Snapchat, Pinterest, Telegram, Reddit, Snapfish, uploading video on YouTube, Vine, Xanga, Buzznet and Flickr. Mehraj Din, a PhD scholar of Islamic Studies at Kashmir University, is in a fix after the state government suspended the use of 22 social media and messaging platforms for a month. Selected for a prestigious summer programme in Ihsan Academy at Istanbul in Turkey, he had a scheduled Skype…

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How to Use Facebook and Twitter Without the Internet

Editor

As Hurricane Sandy makes its way up the Eastern Seaboard, many are without electricity. Without power you could lose your access to Internet via Wi-Fi and, potentially, access to mobile networks. If that happens, how can you still post on Facebook and Twitter to let your friends and family know that everything is fine? Or ask for help? You can use good-old text messages. To tweet, first you need to enable your mobile phone on Twitter.com, so do it now while you can. Go to your Twitter homepage, then to…

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