Shabnam Hashmi

The smartwatch distributed by the Hajj Committee of India is not just tracking movement and baggage, but also taking photos of surroundings and accessing microphones through a private company’s pre-installed app. This raises serious questions about the privacy and security of pilgrims. Dear @KirenRijiju @RijijuOffice , can you clarify how the @MOMAIndia & the @hcoi_official @Hajcommitttee permitted a private company’s app with camera and microphone access to be pre-installed on devices given to pilgrims? Were pilgrims clearly informed about these permissions? Was explicit consent taken before distributing such devices? If the objective is only GPS tracking and safety of pilgrims, that can already be achieved through smartphones, which almost every pilgrim carries today. Then why was there a need for smartwatches with additional surveillance-related capabilities like cameras and microphones? Pilgrims travel for a sacred spiritual journey, not to be subjected to unchecked data collection and possible surveillance. Transparency is essential. The government must disclose: • Which private company developed the app • What data is being collected • Where the data is stored • Who has access to it • Whether audio, images, or personal metadata are being transmitted or retained Privacy cannot be compromised in the name of convenience or management. I urge @RahulGandhi @asadowaisi @SanjayAzadSln @yadavakhilesh @MahuaMoitra @sagarikaghose @RuhullahMehdi @priyankagandhi to kindly raise the issue because it’s not about only breach of privacy it can be spying through technology via Indian citizens.