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On the New Year, there was a raging controversy over the mainstream media and TV channels about Bulli Bai app on the open source platform GitHub. This is an open source coding platform where developers can build software programmes for as low a price as USD 4/- per month. Last year, another controversial app called Sulli Deals was also built on GitHub. In both the apps, photos of prominent Muslim women's photos were uploaded with prices written for what is being described as "their auction or sale." The media personalities and prominent activists have denounced such practices and demanded immediate action against such app builders.
Tech Against Women
While many IT companies are engaging in helping the women to find career for themselves in the IT industry, Bulli Bai and Sulli Deals show an ugly face of tech development which works against women. In these two cases, only Muslim women's photos were uploaded, but we must remember that this kind of tech cybercrime can be practised against any woman. This is an attempt to threaten women from becoming active in public.
The critics have rightfully condemned these apps as derogatory for Muslim women. The apps have been taken down after the severe criticism it receive. However, Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Rajya Sabha member filed an FIR against Bulli Bai and demanded immediate action. Following the FIR, now it has been reported that a youth named Vishal has been arrested from Bangalore who was involved in the operation of Bulli Bai. Another young woman from Uttarakhand has also been arrested. It is said that both of them know each other and the woman was handling 3 accounts.
It is deplorable that a woman should be involved in such derogatory practices against other women in the tech world.
Degree-Holding Uneducated People
Since GitHub is a platform for developing software programmes, it goes without saying that people who are involved in developing such derogatory apps were technically qualified people and held some kind of advanced tech degrees, in order to operate on GitHub.
This shows the pathetic situation of higher education in India, where people get degrees but don't get educated enough to develop their thinking process. Such people can only be called degree holding uneducated people.
Probability of Cybercrime to Extract Money
Most mainstream media and TV channels have been criticising this incident only from the socio-political angle. They are saying that this incident shows how polarised the Indian society has become, since only Muslim women's photos were uploaded "for sale."
While there may be truth in the above criticism, an important point is being by the critics of these derogatory apps. The way these two apps were designed, they definitely aimed at attracting people who wanted to commit crime against Muslim women and were prepared to pay money to gain access against women.
It's quite possible that the people involved in managing Bulli Bai and Sulli Deals might have just collected the money and once they received the money, they might have just disappeared. Hence, these apps aimed at exploiting the psychology of the people who wanted to target Muslim women and it aimed to extract money from them.
Need for Women to be Extra Cautious
Nowadays, with the advance of tech platforms, any kind of cybercrimes can be committed and in most cases the criminal remains anonymous. Hence, women who want to build a presence in public space, need to be extra cautious. In these two cases the Muslim women were targeted, but any woman can be targeted in future. Hence, if any activity is seen online where women are the target, don't be quiet because you don't belong to the targeted group. Complain and demand justice. Today it's someone else; tomorrow it may be you.
Need for the Men in IT sector to be Vigilant
IT sector is dominated by men. They all have women in their families. Hence, men have a special responsibility to see what kind of apps are being developed and they should support women if such derogatory and criminal activities are taking place online.