Yogendra Kalavalapalli
The website claims to host a data bank of more than 300 million Indians
It also offers “offline services” in the form of background checks for companies, individuals
The company aspires to catalogue whatever information people have shared in public spaces
HYDERABAD: In this age of social media networking when tracking old pals and long-lost classmates has become as easy as ordering home a pizza, not often does luck smile on us. Not everyone is as computer-savvy and sometimes we are left with no choice but wish our buddies take to the social networking revolution too.
For those determined to catch up with these friends no matter what, a start-up website jantakhoj.com offers some hope. The website claims to host a data bank of more than 300 million Indians providing not just contact details but also listings of their neighbours and relatives.
Common phenomenon
People search engines are common all over the world, especially in the developed world, says Tarun Bangari, founder-CEO, JantaKhoj.
The company refuses to reveal the “public sources” it has procured the details from owing to “certain business and competitive reasons”. “We have been legally-compliant right from the beginning and this is not copyrighted information,” Mr. Bangari says. “Besides, we have taken care to not include information on minors.”
Can JantaKhoj be compared to Aadhar, the unique identity project headed by Nandan Nilekani? “There is not even a comparison between the two. UID is one of the best projects India has undertaken,” he sings praises.
Beta version
JantaKhoj has recently launched beta version of its people search portal that apart from promising to help one find someone, also offers “offline services” in the form of background checks.
Be it corporate companies looking to verify the educational and professional qualifications of their employees or cagey individuals seeking to check up on the background of their tenants, drivers, house maids or even prospective matrimonial alliances, JantaKhoj team promises to deliver the goods.
“If a company wants to verify the educational documents of an employee, the information would be verified and returned within 15 days with signature of the university's sub-registrar and seal,” says Mr. Bangari.
Future plans
Although the company currently does not enjoy tie-ups with universities, Mr. Bangari indicates that it is part of its future plans. For now, it has tied up with 8-10 “partner agencies” all over the country for help with the investigative work.
However, according to Mr. Bangari, verification is conducted only after a person has consented to it. “While permission is not mandatory, Indian law is silent on this.”
And in case someone is not comfortable with their information being displayed on a public portal, he/she can send their identity details or proof of address with a request to omit them from the database.
“But, since the beta version of the website was launched five weeks back, the number of requests to delete details is actually dismal,” he points out.
The company aspires to catalogue whatever information people have shared in public spaces like social media, public references and court records. “Cataloguing Court records is in the pipeline. The website doesn't index the information as of now but we want to bring verdicts public.”
