Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh E.S.L. Narasimhan has observed that the country could not develop a safe mobile phone technology so far that allows at least top 500 people to converse safely without being heard by a third person sitting miles away.
The observation by the joint Governor of the two Telugu-speaking States assumes significance in the backdrop of the ongoing cash-for-vote episode that triggered a huge row between AP and Telangana governments. Mr. Narasimhan made the remarks at the convocation of two engineering courses at the Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME) held here on Friday.
“How carelessly we use our mobile phones to talk things today. This can be heard by some people sitting miles away. Do we have a system wherein we can put a chip into mobile phones and give them to select users so that their conversation takes place safe. Unfortunately, we don’t have such technology to encrypt and decrypt the conversation made by important people,” the Governor pointed out.
Mr. Narasimhan underlined the need to develop new technologies that could ensure safety and security of the country. He asked the 41 officers who graduated in Degree Engineering and Technical Entry Scheme courses to focus on economic and cyber security, disinformation, disruption and cyber-war aspects as challenges from the common man’s point of view.
Stating that the national security paradigm had undergone a sea change in the recent years, Mr. Narasimhan said it’s the technological superiority that counts now after Communism and Capitalism had given way to it. “Though guarding country’s borders, fighting and winning a war are not irrelevant, we must remember that ideology has given way to technology. Technological superiority is better deterrent than nuclear or arsenal one,” he felt.
Turning to social media, the Governor said it could create threat to national security and spread disinformation though it had some advantages. “It’s needed to be used with care and caution as we have seen what happened in Cairo and the Middle East and it can happen anywhere. It’s a strong tool that can swing social perceptions in no time,” he said.
The Governor stressed the need for indigenisation of technology stating that the country could not afford to import it for long and suggested the armed forces not get confused in gradation of information, intelligence and disinformation with one another.
Commandant of MCEME Lt Gen Gurmukh Singh and others participated.
