Is Airtel really injecting code to spy on its customers?

Hyderabad: A Bengaluru-based programmer has accused Indian telecom giant Airtel of “spying” on its subscribers using 3G. Thejesh GN (@thej on Twitter) posted that the company was “injecting javascript into browsing sessions” over its 3G network to both track user information and to target users with specific advertisements. Others online argued that placing of code on a web page was against the principles of net neutrality as a web page on the Airtel network would be visibly different from a page opened via another internet provider.

Airtel in a statement has accepted the existence of the code and said the “solution” was deployed to help “customer experience”. The issue had taken an interesting twist when Thejesh posted screenshots of a cease and desist notice that was issued by Israeli company Flash Networks, which asked him to take down his findings from a web forum. The company has claimed, via its legal team in India, that Thejesh broke the law by publishing proprietary code.  

According to reports, the Israeli firm is partnering Airtel to make this data-tracking code with another telecom major, Ericsson, as the intermediary. Airtel, in its release, also distanced itself from the notice filed by Flash Networks, against Thejesh. “We are also surprised at the Cease & Desist notice served by Flash Networks to Thejesh GN, and categorically state that we have no relation, whatsoever, with the notice,” the company's statement read. “As a responsible corporate, we have the highest regard for customer privacy and we follow a policy of zero tolerance with regard to the confidentiality of customer data,” the statement added.