Cyber Security

 One of the smartest weapons in our fight against the pandemic have been the Contact tracing apps. The app uses Bluetooth to determine whether we are in the vicinity of a COVID-19 infected person and it aids authorities to identify and isolate possible cases.

In spite of its efficiency and its usability, the concept behind contact tracing apps has attracted privacy and security concerns. The concerns stem from the notion that the app encourages and aids governments to perform mass surveillance on its own people. In addition, our data is exposed and therefore is vulnerable to attacks from hackers and trolls.

In order to understand the vulnerabilities, let us first understand how contact tracing apps work. Using Bluetooth technology, the apps identify COVID-19 affected individuals and hotspots and they give alerts if it finds that you have been in that vicinity. It does that by matching your Bluetooth signals with a person who is already known to be infected. The alerts enable you to take appropriate steps like isolation and testing so that you don't end up infecting other people.

The data privacy camp is worried that in the absence of any specific guideline, the data released from our Bluetooth devices can be exposed to systems which might not have adequate security. For e.g. the United Kingdom's health service NHS which is developing its own COVID tracing app has been the victim of frequent attacks by trolls and hackers in the past.

Another major worry is active surveillance where the government who now has hold of your data can actively monitor your whereabouts even after the pandemic is over. Your every activity- offline or online can be watched and authorities can use that information unlawfully. Critics are worried that if the pandemic lasts for long then this intrusion will become the new normal as governments would likely not give up on these applications. This is especially true for authoritarian governments where human right abuses are common.

Protocols for Contact Tracing apps

In Europe where data privacy is of paramount importance, the subject of information security and contact tracing apps has encouraged many debates. In 2018, European Union implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which regulates the various attributes of personal data such as collection, alteration, storage, share etc. On many accounts, the concept of Contact Tracing apps doesn't accord with the regulations laid down as part of GDPR. Concerns were raised and a Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing also known as PEPP-PT was established. PEPP-PT consists of scientists and engineers who are formulating a standard protocol by which standard mobile data will be processed to trace the COVID-19 cases.

The objective is to mitigate the privacy risks associated with unauthorized and intrusive navigation apps. Apple and Google who are collaborating to develop a Covid-19 contact tracing app have been advised by PEPP-PT to include the standard protocol in the app algorithm.

Cryptography might be the answer to Privacy concerns

Since the outbreak, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and World Health Organization (WHO) have been working on Private Kit: Safe Paths project. The objective of the project is to minimize surveillance while extracting maximum benefits from the GPS technology. It works by sorting the COVID-19 positive cases into specific block areas. The app then cryptographically "hash" the data related to each sub-area within that block. The data includes location and time. The hashing transforms each location and timestamp of a user into a unique number. This number cannot be generated again as that specific hashing is irreversible. This way no one can use the hashing to extract user information.

Concluding thoughts.

We are in the middle of a pandemic and every day this disease is taking countless lives. Technology has been at the forefront of our battle against the virus and the COVID-19 apps are assisting the authorities every day to determine and isolate cases. The data collected as a result of the process is enormous and data privacy isn't a burning concern at this moment. The pandemic is sweeping the globe and countries are jumping on every possible means to curb the virus.

Nevertheless, privacy related to the data, collected in order to prevent the pandemic can become a pain if we don't deal with it now. Authorities have the keys to contact tracing applications and they can extract your entire personal information and whereabouts. Activists fear that authorities are not going to give up this power after the pandemic ends. This can create mass surveillance and would lead to countless cases of data and privacy breaches. In order to prevent this from happening, it is imperative that we setup a thorough privacy protocol and include them into the algorithms of the contact tracing apps.

Oh Baby – Emotionally Entertaining

Cinematographer : Richard Prasad

Story:

Baby(Lakshmi) is a hyper old lady who runs a canteen on her own. Her dominating nature is not liked by her daughter in law. Because of a small family feud, Baby is kicked out of the house. But strange things happen in her life and Baby gets a wish to become this young lady and lead her life once again. Rest of the story is as to how the new and young Baby(Samantha) makes use of this opportunity and enjoys her life peacefully.

Plus Points:

Even though the film is a remake, the manner in which Nandini Reddy has set the film in Telugu nativity is superb. She has excelled in her work and Oh Baby is Nandini’s best work to date.

It is very hard to put in words as to what Samantha has done with Oh Baby. She owns the film completely and takes you on a ride with her emotional, witty, and career-best performance. You will see Samantha the actress and not the star in the film. All her scenes with Rajendra Prasad and the climax with Rao Ramesh will bring tears to your eyes for sure. Be it her dressing to her comedy timing, Sam proves that she in top form in her career right now.

One cannot imagine the film without Rajendra Prasad. He is so good as Sam’s best friend and the senior actor shares superb chemistry with Samantha. His expressions are hilarious in the film. The first fifteen holds the key for the film and for this part to be set right, senior actor Lakshmi plays a major role with her experienced performance which sets the tempo nicely.

Naga Shourya looks handsome and is neat in his supporting role. Rao Ramesh gets an emotional role and the family values that are showcased through his role are just amazing and are a major plus to the film. Child actor turned hero, Teja does a good job in his first film. He gets a meaty role and impresses completely. Sunaina is very good as the nagging daughter of Rajendra Prasad.

Pragati is apt in her role and evokes good emotions. The first half of the film is packed well with hilarious comedy and sensible emotions. The climax has been executed well and the manner in which things are ended also looks complete.

Minus Points:

The second half of the film is a tad slow and lenghty. The proceedings could have been trimmed to make things better.

The proceedings get a bit predictable in the second half as the tempo slows down and make things a bit dull here and there.

Technical Aspects:

The production values of the film are top notch as the film looks rich in many areas. The film has a heartwarming feel and that is beautifully captured by the cameraman. Editing is just about okay as ten minutes could have been chopped off. Samantha has been styled superbly and so was Naga Shourya. Music by Mickey J Meyer is superb but his BGM was awesome.

Special credit should go to Chinmayi as her dubbing has given a special push to Sam’s performance. Coming to the director Nandini Reddy, she has done an amazing job with the film. The manner in which she showcased Samantha and narrated the film in an emotional manner with good values and clean entertainment is too good.

Verdict:

One the whole, Oh Baby is a heartwarming family drama which touches your heart completely. Beautiful emotions, good comedy, family values and romance, this film has it all. The film has a good connectivity factor which everyone can relate to easily. Samantha has upped her game to another level with this film and she will surely pull the crowds to the theaters with her career-best performance. Telugu cinema is truly churning out the best content oriented films in recent times and Oh Baby is one such film which should not be missed.