Anand Mahindra suggests Indian Facebook, experts opt for Blockchain technology

With the Cambridge Analytica scandal continuing to unfold, users are examining the data collection practices of apps particularly with the Narendra Modi app and the INC app which are allegedly collecting data and sending to third-party apps which are hosted outside the country.

Apps have been asking users’ permission to collect data such as detailed phone records, SMS, camera, and contacts of users since the beginning but the consequences are dawning on the users now.

The users, who have been downloading their own data from social media platforms, are deliberating on where the data should be stored and the access that apps must be given.

Following Facebook's epic failure, Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra on Tuesday shared on Twitter the idea of having an alternative social media platform, totally managed and regulated by Indians.

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However, experts claim that most Indian apps fail on the privacy front with a report by data privacy consultancy Arrka stating that India seeks 7.9 ‘dangerous permissions’ from users on average apps which is notably higher than those from the US.

With the majority of Indians choosing Google’s Android operating system, which classifies some permissions as ‘dangerous’ when the data is sensitive and private.

Experts also claim that the Blockchain technology could be the answer for the next generation of social media platforms as it allows the user to tell what data has to be shared.