FREE Established 1961 Friday ISSUE NO: 17611 THULHIJJA 6, 1439 AH FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018 ‘Al-Haris Al-Khafeer’ joint Music icon Aretha Turkey will emerge 9 military exercise concludes 20 Franklin dies at 76 37 stronger: Minister IOC temporarily lifts ban on national sports KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the what has been agreed upon in the roadmap toward Minister of State for Youth Affairs Mohammad Al- Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber the aspired objective of lifting the ban permanently. Jabri yesterday expressed relief at a decision taken Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister The lifting of the ban should allow Kuwaiti ath- by the executive bureau of the International Olympic Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah for letes to take part in the 18th Asian Games, which Committee (IOC), temporarily lifting the ban on the their guidance to overcome all obstacles facing the open in Jakarta, Indonesia tomorrow, under their Kuwaiti sports, pending “completion of the roadmap Kuwaiti athletes. own flag and anthem. The Kuwait National Olympic that has been agreed upon by the two parties.” Jabri touted in particular diligent follow up on Committee had been suspended since October 27, Minister Jabri said in a statement that the tem- part of His Highness the Premier and expressed 2015 due to what the IOC described as ‘govern- porary lifting of the ban came after fruitful meet- gratitude to all who had held the top posts of the ment interference’, with the country’s sports laws ings with the IOC, during which “fair members” Ministry of State for Youth Affairs and Public not being compliant to the Olympic Charter. expressed understanding and respect toward the Authority for Sports in the past. Moreover, he said, Kuwaiti athletes were forced to participate under Kuwaiti Constitution and the State laws. The road continuous support lent by speaker and members of the IOC flag at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, map that has been agreed upon aimed at securing the National Assembly was quite effective for lifting where shooter Fhaid Al-Daihani won a gold stability for sports in Kuwait, Minister Jabri said. the ban, temporarily. He affirmed that full coordina- medal as an Independent Olympic Athlete in the Mohammad Al-Jabri He thanked His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah tion would be pursued with the IOC to implement all double trap. — Agencies ( See Page 47) 100 feared dead as Kerala flood rage continues See Pages 12-13 2 Friday Local Friday, August 17, 2018 Photo of the day What is privacy online? Local Spotlight By Muna Al-Fuzai [email protected] uwait has begun blocking caller ID apps for vio- lating privacy of individuals. The Communications Kand Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) said such apps violate a person’s privacy because they access his private information and threaten people’s security. These apps have also led to family disputes and bank thefts. The information technology security department explained that when the user installs a caller ID application, he allows the app to access all information on his phone such as phone numbers and addresses. I am not a regular user of mobile caller ID applications except for Truecaller, which I rarely use and don’t even know if it is included in this new decision or not. But I per- sonally don’t think blocking smartphone apps is the solution to family problems and bank thefts that may arise due to phone apps. Smartphones have made it easier for people to communicate with other users via email and social net- works, but security experts have warned that user privacy can be compromised by information that a user may think is KUWAIT: Until the mid-1920s, pilgrims hopped on camels and braved a hard journey from Kuwait to Makkah that lasted at least safe and cannot be retrieved from his phone. three months. Kuwaiti pilgrimage convoys, with hundreds of camels, passed through many areas on their way to Makkah. The Personal data can mean a lot of info such as first and last cost of the Hajj was 150 rupees paid by the pilgrim to the owner of the convoy, not including food. — KUNA name, email address, location and many other bits of infor- mation. When anyone wants to download an app, he is usu- ally asked to give his permission to the policy of the app, which means it may collect and share personal data for marketing purposes or otherwise. So we have the choice to #stopandthinkchallenge agree or not. But, as usual, when we download an app, we just click “Yes” or “Agree” to everything without going through the details of what we have agreed to! When you agree to a privacy policy, you will be under the obligation IN MY VIEW of the policy’s terms. While telecommunication companies have the right to collect data, users must agree to the privacy terms of these By Ramona Crasto networks, which often include items that justify collecting information about users on the grounds that they use them [email protected] to improve their experience and services, noting that many users usually agree to these terms without reading them. here is a new challenge in town, the #stopand- What does it take for us to understand the dangers we So my question is - do I need a privacy policy for my thinkchallenge. Not in the middle of the road or any cause by not only putting our lives at risk but also of those mobile app? And what is the purpose of storing and sharing Tplace unsafe, not with a bucket of ice or in plank post. around us. personal data? This year, Google was embarrassed by Instead, we are required to stop and think. I know it’s a bit Which bring us to the latest Kiki Challenge that involves reports of unexpected errors concerning data privacy and of a challenge, but play along with me. a person jumping out of a slow moving car and dancing to privacy of users. One suggestion was that the user should Have any of us truly considered how these challenges the song ‘In My Feelings’ by Drake. A teen from Iowa revoke the permissions granted to any external application may be crossing the line from fun and adventurous to dan- tripped and hit her head when she attempted to get out of to access the profile of his or her account. This topic is still gerous? How our better judgment and sense of self-preser- the car and try the Kiki Challenge. She had to be taken to a subject of controversy and global debate, which I don’t vation is eroded by the latest internet/social media craze? the intensive care unit. To avoid such a situation, many think will end soon. It all started when the Ice Bucket Challenge first spread countries including Kuwait and UAE have taken measures to I think it’s important to define the concept of privacy like wildfire and people forgot that it started to promote ban this challenge. regarding smartphones and digital media. It is known awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also In Kuwait, attempting the challenge can lead to a KD 100 that users of smartphone applications can control the known as motor neuron disease and encourage donations fine and three months of imprisonment. Three influencers in feature of geographical location and turn it on or off as for its research. UAE were arrested for doing the same and will be faced desired, but it is still possible to obtain data through We don’t realize how dangerous these challenges have with imprisonment and a fine. Many might call this an telecommunication companies. This means there is no turned out to be. The Plank Challenge, a craze in which peo- extreme measure, but the authorities believe that most car absolute privacy when it comes to smartphones, and ple lie face down in strange places while someone takes accidents are caused by lack of attention on the road while perhaps blocking some mobile apps in Kuwait and hav- their picture, claimed the life of a young man in Australia driving, even when the driver isn’t speeding. ing strict conditions concerning privacy of individuals who plunged to his death from an apartment balcony while No one is against having fun - the Mannequin Challenge may limit the existence of such applications. “planking”. The Floor is Lava Challenge turned out to be was all about it. But then came challenges that were the But the concept of personal privacy is a difficult one in more harmful than fun when two girls in Solothurn in exact opposite. The Blue Whale and Momo challenges cre- this open era of the Internet and social media. The Al-Arab Switzerland climbed onto a staircase, wanting to ‘save’ ated to provoke suicidal tendencies in teenagers are proof newspaper published a report on the privacy of smartphone themselves while attempting the challenge. Things took a of how people are so keen on having fun and attempting to users and mentioned that a company specialized in infor- turn for the worse when one of them lost their balance and challenge their fears that it ends up costing them their lives. mation security has revealed that more than 28,000 smart- fell four meters over the railings to the stairs below. Luckily, And let’s not forget that oftentimes no one really knows phone applications violate user privacy by retaining per- she didn’t suffer any major injuries. where these challenges start.