ITSSL cautioned fake prez poll surveys collecting personal data

November 18, 2024

political Current Affairs

ITSSL cautioned fake prez poll surveys collecting personal data ^Featured

October 27, 2019

The Information Technology Society Sri Lanka (ITSSL) has cautioned the local internet users of ongoing organized activity for collecting personal data of voters under the facade of presidential poll surveys.Certain unidentified groups have set up websites that claim to be presidential election surveys, to lure social media users to submit their National Identity Card (NIC) number along with their political preferences.

The ITSSL says it has observed one such website under the URL -- www.votesl.com -- which requires its visitors to enter their NIC number in order to “vote” for the presidential candidate of their preference.This website does not contain any information about a responsible party or provided any sort of contact details of the surveyor, the ITSSL said in a release.The ITSSL further stated that the Facebook page of this website has failed to display the details about the country where it is being operated from and the administrators in charge of it.

The ITSSL plans on briefing the chairman of the Election Commission, Mahinda Deshapriya in this regard as collecting such personal data of a person can give access to the website’s operator to gather other personal data such as the name, gender, place of living, electorates and Grama Niladhari division.Internet users are hence urged to be vigilant of such websites collecting personal data by feigning to be conducting surveys for the presidential election.