Tek Fog: Difference between revisions

'''Tek Fog''' is an [[application software]] allegedly used by the [[Organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party#BJP IT Cell|information technology cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party]] as part of their social media campaigning to spread BJP schemes, according to The Wire.<ref name="Quartz" /> In 2022, [[The Wire (India)|''The Wire'']] reported that the Tek Fog app was used by BJP "to artificially inflate the popularity of the party, harass its critics and manipulate public perceptions at scale across major social media platforms."<ref name="Wire Tek Fog 6 Jan" /><ref name="Le Monde" /><ref name="Quartz">

Tek Fog was said to have been used to manage [[Astroturfing|inauthentic accounts]] en masse on social media., as Tekwell Fogas wasbeing capable of [[Black hat (computer security)|hacking]] inactive [[WhatsApp]] accounts en masse in order to mass message their contacts with propaganda messages, while impersonating the account owner. According to ''The Wire'', a whistleblower with app access was able to hack a test WhatsApp account controlled by reporters "within minutes."

An investigation by ''The Wire'' foundalleged that the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] along with private companies [[Persistent Systems]] and [[Mohalla Tech]] (which operates a service called ShareChat) were involved in the use of the app. [[Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha]] (Youth wing of [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]) members supervised the operators and gave them [[Hindutva|ideological]] directions. It reported that Mohalla Tech was involved in the management of Tek Fog., Theand that the whistleblower, responsible for the discovery of Tek Fog, was paid via Mohalla Tech as their assigned client, and ShareChat was widely exploited by Tek Fog.<ref name="Wire Tek Fog 6 Jan" /> ''The Wire'' found that [[Persistent Systems]] was involved in the production and management of Tek Fog. An internal source within Persistent System confirmed the involvement of the company, with 17,000 files connected to Tek Fog developed by Persistent Systems.<ref name="Wire Tek Fog 6 Jan" />