Hacking Resistance! Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle Facebook, Gmail, Smail Hacked
By Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle-IITM
29 August, 2015
Countercurrents.org
On 24.08.2015 afternoon (2.50 pm) APSC Facebook, Gmail and Smail (student mail inside the IITM campus provided by administration of IITM) accounts were hacked. The same day (24th August 2015) by night we recovered the password for Gmail and Facebook account. From the last account activity, we found that the IP address of the computer used to steal the password is from within the IITM campus. Again by 25th morning (11.21 am) both the Gmail and Facebook accounts were hacked, we are unable to recover Gmail, Smail and Facebook. The alternate email id and verification phone number that we provided to recover passwords also been changed.
This hacking has been done just before the invited talk organized by the APSC on “Merit and Reservation in Engineering Eduction” on 24th August at 5 pm, by Ajantha subramanian, Professor of Anthropology, Harvard University. It is evident that the repeated hacking of our emails and Facebook accounts is related to the topic of the talk, and is being done by those who can neither democratically tolerate nor academically refute the pro-reservation argument put forth forcefully by Prof Subramanian. It is the first time in IITM history, inside IITM campus the speaker exposed that the reservation was never followed in IITM over these years, by her reliable data. Perhaps it has shaken beliefs of those who have an anti-reservation position, and they have in desperation resorted to a criminal act such as hacking of email and social media accounts. To us it seems no mere coincidence that this dastardly act comes close on the heels of the “anonymous” letter sent to the HRD ministry earlier this year.
Instead of facing our questions, right wing forces from IITM campus had sent an “anonymous” letter to the HRD ministry which resulted in the de-recognition of APSC, and led to much chaos within and outside the campus. The persons responsible for sending the “anonymous” letter have not been punished, even though they are traceable within the campus. The same way these thugs are trying to block our activities by such cheap acts, which are not ethical and moral in any aspect and are again trying to create an uncertain situation inside the campus.
When we approached administration initially they said ok to publish our press release through institution, but after seeing our press statements, they responded that “it is not possible to zero in an individual machine and can proceed for public statement by our own”. Even the IP address is dynamic, it is possible for IITM admin to trace the real IP address and from which lab it has been accessed. In this regard we urge the administration of IITM to uncover the perpetrators behind this activity and take appropriate action legally.
We would like to send the message to those who are responsible for this criminal act that they can delete our accounts or get hold of information present in Gmail or Facebook, or any of our accounts, but the truth will prevail. Those offenders who are skilled in hacking failed to see the reality and think that blocking our account will make the APSC team give up its activities.
(Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle-IITM is an Independent Student Body)
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