THEHACKCITY

The introduction of UPI services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius marked a significant milestone in digital financial connectivity within the Indian Ocean Region. During a virtual event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders from both nations, the implementation of UPI was celebrated as a means of fostering closer ties between India and its neighboring countries. PM Modi emphasized the importance of these new responsibilities undertaken by UPI, highlighting India's commitment to being a reliable partner in times of need, whether in response to natural disasters, health crises, or on the international stage. Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth and Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe joined PM Modi in the ceremony, underscoring the collaborative effort to enhance digital payment systems across borders. The expansion of UPI to Sri Lanka and Mauritius not only facilitates smoother transactions for Indian travelers but also allows Mauritian travelers in India to avail thems...

 Zepto, a startup specializing in instant grocery delivery, has successfully secured $200 million in a recent funding round, elevating its valuation to $1.4 billion. This achievement is noteworthy considering the challenges faced by other companies in the same sector, many of which have struggled or folded. Zepto's funding round sets it apart as the first Indian startup to attain unicorn status in the current year. The Series E funding for Zepto was spearheaded by StepStone Group, a prominent limited partner (LP) with involvement in various venture funds, including Nexus Venture Partners. Notably, this marks StepStone Group's inaugural direct investment in India. Existing supporters such as Nexus, Glade Brook Capital, and Lachy Groom, along with Goodwater Capital, also participated in the funding round. Zepto's valuation has risen significantly since its previous funding round in May of the previous year, where it was valued at $900 million. Cumulatively, Zepto has raised a...

The Indian government has taken a significant step to promote local manufacturing by imposing immediate restrictions on the imports of laptops, tablets, and personal computers. To import these products, businesses must obtain a valid license for restricted imports. This move aims to reduce dependency on foreign markets and encourage investments in the country's manufacturing sector. The Push for Local Manufacturing: The primary objective behind the government's decision is to position India as a global manufacturing hub. By restricting imports of high-demand electronic devices, the government seeks to stimulate domestic production capabilities. Several major companies, including Apple, Foxconn, and Walmart, have already invested heavily in establishing local units and stores in India, indicating the country's appeal as an attractive investment destination. Expert Views: Ali Akhtar Jafri, former director general of the Manufacturers' Association of Information Technology...

WhatsApp Banned More Than 2 Million Accounts In India in a month, WhatsApp has confirmed that as many 2 million user accounts in India were banned on the instant messaging platform between 15th May and 15th June. This comes as part of the India’s Monthly Report under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The company revealed that it had banned 20,11,000 accounts in this one-month period. WhatsApp identifies Indian accounts via the country code +91 of the mobile phone number used to register. It also added that India alone accounts for 25 percent of all banned accounts in the world. The company identifies an Indian account via +91 phone number. Stating that more than 95% of such bans are due to the unauthorized use of automated or bulk messaging, the company added that these numbers have increased significantly since 2019 because its systems have increased in sophistication, and hence are detecting more accounts even as it b...

150 million Covid vaccinated Indian people data leaked and put on for sell on the dark web. Data available at just $800 -$1000 on dark web. Update : It turnout to be a false data breach scare. Probably created for scamming via bitcoin payments. Because there is no proof of leak to be found no screenshot no data sample provided by the data sellers. Internet freedom has contacted many security expert and they said It’s most likely a scam. Yesterday, there was a false data breach scare after reports of a COWIN leak started rolling in. That was debunked. But we're making an appeal for you to pay attention here: Data breaches in India ARE rising. And our laws are not equipped to deal with them! This is why. -> https://t.co/NmM90ym2Fk — Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) June 11, 2021 We found It was first posted on 27th May by ‘mind8hunter’ on twitter. https://twitter.com/mind8hunter1/status/1397986701885132801 As per tweet posted by Dark tr...

Indian users are not receiving OTP’s, other transactional, promotional and notification messages are also affected. OTP and SMS Notifications not working telemarketing companies are heavily affected. Bulk SMS service provider are facing high rate of message delivery failure. All company or service providers using SMS based OTP or transactional SMS for notifying users are facing this problem. Users are not able to order foods from food delivery apps many bank users are unable to complete their online payment because OTP is not delivered to their registered mobile even some govt related services are also heavily affected by this. There is some reports that Indian government COVID vaccination registration app COVAXIN is also affected. Users are complaining on Twitter and Facebook that they are not receiving OPT’s and notifications. And we have come to know these all issues are because of TRAI has made DLT registration mandatory for telemarketing and every service provider compa...

Indian govt announced Digital Health ID on 15th august 2020 Independence day. It’s called National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) as a unified healthcare program under which every Indian citizen will be issued a 14 digit digital health ID. In first phase service will be rolled out in six union territories (Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Ladakh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep). Worth noting point in this service is Govt has claimed that this is a voluntary opt-in system and user can opt out when he/she want, and can request for erasing their data. User can generate new Health ID card using either Aadhar number or mobile number, with basic details user can create user id and password to access portal in future. Govt body has claimed that user will have option to hide and restrict their Health profile data using consent based access management system. Doctors and health cares service provider will have access only to those data which is se...