November 26, 2024
📰 FEATURE STORY
Is the IAF’s partnership with Uber problematic?
Generally speaking, the military-industrial complex looks to shy away from the limelight and political fights. Such a complex mechanism often relies on anonymity for its work. It’s how they ensure secrecy to keep people safe. But once in a while, there’s something that ruffles feathers.
Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) partnered with Uber to provide hassle-free cab services for Air Force officials and their families. On the surface, this sounds harmless. However, following the announcement, security experts cried foul. Alarm bells went off about possible security risks—data exposure, location tracking, sharing of sensitive information, and the like. How real are these fears? Is it being overblown?
Context
When the defence and the private sectors intersect, it’s usually in manufacturing. India’s defence production turnover has been lauded as officials say more private sector participation is necessary.
In several developed countries, the private sector often dominates their military-industrial complexes. For example, among the top 100 arms-producing and military services companies, the top 5 are all US-based private sector firms. They have over 50% of the US’s big-ticket defence procurement. Lockheed Martin is the biggest of them all.
So, it’s not uncommon for private companies to enter the defence sector. In fact, in some cases, it’s often seen as necessary.
Now, concerning technology companies, things get a little tricky. There has been plenty of discussion and debate about Big Tech’s role in the US military, specifically, its increasing influence. The use of drones, AI-enabled weapons, and an arms race with China has fueled the US’s heavy investment in advanced digital technologies. US Defence intelligence agencies have reportedly used commercially available geolocation data from cell phones to surveil potential targets and authorise strikes.
The partnerships aren’t just with the big guns like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. Hundreds of smaller pre-IPO startups are also involved. The contracts are worth tens of billions of dollars.
India is behind in using technologies like AI for defence but is beginning to catch up. Last year, the Indian Army partnered with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to infuse cutting-edge technologies and digital infrastructure into the Army’s core operational network. It was seen as a necessary first step.
The recent partnership with Uber has been in the limelight for the wrong reasons. The agreement was for Uber to extend exclusive benefits to Air Force personnel, civilians, veterans, and their families. This includes discounted rides, priority customer service, and other logistical services to make transportation easier for defence officials.
However, partnering with a foreign company made many in the defence and national security community uneasy. The pro of easy commutes amid unpredictable schedules was overshadowed by the proposed cons of misuse of personal data, potential geo-tagging of important officials, etc. Did the Air Force make a mistake in the first place?
VIEW: It was always problematic
While providing mobility for defence personnel, veterans, and their families is laudable, partnering with Uber was too risky. In September 2023, the Indian Navy signed a similar agreement with Uber. That meant service members had to provide their names, email IDs, mobile numbers, and other personal details to avail of the services. Cybersecurity experts raised concerns over potential security breaches where sensitive information is in the hands of a private, foreign company.
Apart from personal details, the data could reveal travel patterns, places of posting, and real-time geolocations and routines. Entrusting one company with minimal regulation and guardrails can have severe security repercussions. Uber itself has suffered several data breaches over the past few years. While encryption is essential, it’s not air-tight. So, what about storage and access to the data? India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, passed in August 2023, stipulated that the government can restrict the transfer of personal data outside the country. However, these rules haven’t been notified yet.
Foreign companies are bound by the laws of their home countries. They could be compelled to hand over that data. In the US, the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act provides law enforcement agencies access to data stored by US-based companies, even if it’s held on foreign servers. There’s precedent for something bad happening. The movements of military personnel wearing smartwatches in classified military installations were tracked by the fitness app Strava and were available publicly.
COUNTERVIEW: There’s minimal risk
The response to the IAF-Uber agreement was an overreaction to many. The Indian armed forces’ cybersecurity is managed by qualified domain experts. For example, the current National Cyber Security Coordinator, MU Nair, is a retired Lt Gen and former Signal Officer-in-Chief. There are elaborate policies to safeguard sensitive information that covers physical, electronic, and cyber communications. There are dedicated secure cyber networks that use fibre optics and indigenous satellites.
There’s not much of a national security threat from the data showing the transportation patterns of individuals in the Armed forces. Uber is an American company. Relations between both countries are on good terms. Unless it suddenly turns sour, there’s little reason to believe that the US government would use Uber’s data to pose a security threat. India is aware of foreign companies posing such threats. A case in point is India not permitting the Chinese company Huawei.
Encryption is necessary to mention here. Agreements like the one with Uber are planned meticulously to ensure no data breaches. The data is usually stored using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) – 256-bit encryption. It includes strong algorithms, key management, and a robust encryption process. Simply abandoning this agreement would set a bad precedent for potential future partnerships. Besides, the Uber agreement with the Indian Navy last year didn’t elicit such responses.
Reference Links:
- Indian Army and MeitY unite forces for technological defence overhaul – The Economic Times
- IAF’s Uber Deal Sparks Outcry: Army Vice Chief Subramani Calls for Caution and Respect – The Financial Express
- Restoring public confidence after Uber & Strava rows is crucial. Armed forces must give clarity – The Print
- Why the Uber-IAF deal is problematic – The Tribune
- IAF takes adequate measures ensuring digital security, no threats from MoU with Uber – The Sunday Guardian
- Uber isn’t a threat to India’s national security. IAF, Navy withdrawing MoU is overreaction – The Print
What is your opinion on this?
(Only subscribers can participate in polls)
a) The IAF’s partnership with Uber is problematic.
b) The IAF’s partnership with Uber isn’t problematic.
Previous poll’s results:
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