Shocking: Airtel accused of spying on its customers, Bengaluru techie exposes secret 'code'

Bengaluru, June 10: In a major setback for Bharti Airtel, the telecom company now has been now accused of spying on its 3G mobile Internet subscribers.

A Bengaluru-based software engineer claimed that a special "java code" has been inserted into the browsing sessions of Airtel 3G internet users.

Thejesh GN, the software engineer, claimed, "Airtel 3G is injecting javascript into your browsing session" over its 3G network.

However, Airtel officials overruled such allegations and claimed that the company has not been spying on its customers.

Rather Airtel said that it has inserted a code which is a "solution" which has been deployed to help customers keep track of data consumption and ultimately better "customer experience."

The young techie from Bengaluru further claimed that Airtel partnered with Ericsson to get the "code", the data tracker solution.

According to the techie, Ericsson appointed Flash Networks to prepare the "solution" for Bharti Airtel. The whistle-blower later revealed the entire code in public and received legal notice from Flash Networks.

Flash Networks, in its website, said that the company provides telecom operators a new way to monetise to "help mobile operators communicate with their subscribers as they browse the web, and to offer them services that generate new downstream revenues from over-the-top affiliation."

Meanwhile, rejecting all allegations, Airtel officials said, "the company has zero tolerance with regard to the confidentiality of customer data."

According to the official statement of Airtel, the "solution" still exists. The solution goes through browsing sessions of the user in the background and offer Airtel "services that generate new downstream revenues."

OneIndia News