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New Delhi, The <keyword id="65338" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Income-Tax-Department">Income Tax Department</keyword> on Monday carried out <keyword id="10539618" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="limited-verification-exercise">limited verification exercise</keyword> at the <keyword id="183089" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="office-premises">office premises</keyword> of the <keyword id="61966" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zee-group">Zee Group</keyword> and <keyword id="90593" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Larsen-and-Toubro">Larsen and Toubro</keyword> to verify into their bogus inputs about tax credit, official said.<br /><br />A senior IT official said, "There are no searches or raids but we are carrying out limited verification exercise at the offices of the <keyword id="147676" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Larsen">Larsen</keyword> and <keyword id="304986" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Toubro">Toubro</keyword> and Zee group as we had information that they had claimed bogus input tax credit."<br /><br />The official said that it is basically a follow up exercise and there is limited action on both the groups.<br /><br />"We are covering these group and the companies related to these groups on account of this bogus input taxes," the official added.<br /><br />The official, however, refused to share the details of the offices where the verification process is being carried out.<br /><br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-beml-hcl-tech-infosys-tech-mahindra-tcs-ril-tata-motors-hero-moto-tvs-and-others/articleshow/80089765.cms">Top stocks to watch — BEML, HCL Tech, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, TCS, RIL, Tata Motors Hero Moto, TVS, and others</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/checkout-upcoming-new-cars-in-year-2021/slidelist/80025993.cms">Upcoming new cars in India in 2021 of Maruti, Tata, MG, Audi</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/pongal-plus-election-dole-cash-rice-sugar-cashews-and-clothes-for-210-million-people-in-tamil-nadu/articleshow/80091546.cms">Pongal plus election dole: Cash, rice, sugar, cashews and clothes for 210 million people in Tamil Nadu</a><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/tata-motors-stock-surge-the-early-trading-hours-today-after-the-company-reported-a-21-increase-in-total-vehicle-sales/articleshow/80092876.cms"><strong>Tata Motors’ rallies over 3% as it outshines Mahindra and Maruti in December sales</strong></a><br />

L&T and Zee Group accused of filing 'bogus' tax claims — verification underway

The Centre assured the <keyword id="6354977" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court" source="Orion">Supreme Court</keyword> on Monday that the counselling process of NEET-PG will not commence till the top court decides the challenge to 27 per cent reservation for <keyword id="45661" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="OBC" source="Orion">OBC</keyword> and 10 per cent for <keyword id="11939755" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ews" source="Orion">EWS</keyword> category in PG All India Quota seats (MBBS/BDS and MD/MS/MDS) from the current academic session.<br /><br />A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and B V Nagarathna recorded the assurance given by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) K M Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, and observed that students will be in serious problem if the counselling process goes ahead as scheduled.<br /><br />The assurance by Nataraj was given after senior advocate Arvind Dattar, appearing for some NEET candidates, mentioned that as per the schedule announced by the Director General of Health Services, the counselling process for the NEET-PG is to commence from October 25.<br /><br />He said that by the time the court decides the pending batch of petitions, challenging the July 29 notification, introducing the reservation from academic year, the entire process of admission will be over and serious prejudice would be caused to the students.<br /><br />Nataraj said the communication which counsel for petitioner is referring to was sent only to the medical colleges for verification of seats and one more clarificatory notification has been issued on Monday.<br /><br />The counselling process will not begin till the court decides the pending batch of petitions, the ASG submitted.<br /><br />The bench said that it is taking the word on record.<br /><br />We will take your word on record that counselling process will not start till we decide the batch of petitions one way or the other. You know, students will be in serious problem, if the process continues, the bench said.<br /><br />Nataraj agreed with the observation of the court and said that if there is any problem at all in the future, the petitioner's counsel can contact him directly.<br /><br />On October 21, the top court had asked the Centre whether it would like to revisit the limit of rupees eight lakh annual income, fixed for determining the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category for reservation in NEET admissions for medical courses.<br /><br />The top court had clarified that it is not embarking into the policy domain but is only trying to ascertain whether constitutional principles have adhered or not.<br /><br />It had asked the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) to file their affidavits in a week's time and had formulated questions to be answered by the Centre.<br /><br />The top court had said, Tell us if you want to revisit the criteria or not. If you want us to discharge our duties, then we are ready to do so. We are formulating questions which you need to answer them .<br /><br />It had added, We may stay the government notification fixing rupees eight lakh criteria for determining the EWS and you can keep filing the affidavits .<br /><br />The top court was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Centre and Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) July 29 notice providing 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) and 10 per cent for EWS category in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) admissions for medical courses.<br /><br />It had asked searching questions from Centre, and asked whether any exercise was undertaken before fixing a limit of Rs 8 lakh annual income for determining the EWS category.<br /><br />It had said the court is not going to tell the government as to what should be the limit whether it should be rupees four lakh or rupees six lakh because it is for the executive to decide but all it wants to know is on what basis Rs. 8 lakh criteria was fixed.<br /><br />For determining creamy layer in Other Backward Classes (OBC) category the limit was fixed as Rs 8 lakh annual income and they were considered progressed class among OBCs and they were excluded from reservation benefits. Here, for the EWS category, the limit is the same Rs 8 lakh annual income but it was for inclusion in the reservation benefits, the top court had said.<br /><br />On October 7, the top court had posed searching questions to the Centre on its decision to fix a limit of rupees eight lakh annual income for determining the EWS category for reservation in NEET admissions.<br /><br />The Centre had then said fixing a limit of Rs eight lakh annual income for the EWS category is a matter of policy based on the National Cost of Living Index.<br /><br />On September 17, the top court has agreed to hear a batch of pleas of students against the July 29 notice providing 27 per cent reservation for OBC and 10 per cent for EWS category in 15 per cent UG and 50 per cent PG All India Quota seats (MBBS/BDS and MD/MS/MDS) with effect from the current academic session 2021-22.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/elon-musk-brings-shiba-inu-back-to-earth-dogecoin-is-the-only-meme-token-hes-betting-on/articleshow/87252833.cms">Elon Musk brings Shiba Inu back to Earth — Dogecoin is the only meme token he’s betting on</a><br /></strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/ibps-invites-applications-for-probationary-officers/management-trainees-in-bank-of-baroda-indian-bank-pnb-and-many-others-for-2022-23/articleshow/87249654.cms"><strong>IBPS invites applications for probationary officers/management trainees in Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank, PNB and many others for 2022-23</strong></a><br />

NEET-PG counselling not to commence till Supreme Court decides on OBC, EWS quota, says Centre

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Voting in the midterm elections ends on Nov. 8, but there is still plenty of time to cast your ballot.</li><li>In most states, voters can cast their ballots either in-person during early voting or on Election Day or they can vote by mail.</li></ul><p>Many Americans have already cast their ballots in the 2022 midterm elections. If you haven't yet, there are still several days left to vote. The last day to cast your ballot is Tuesday, November 8. </p><p>Since the pandemic, election officials have made it easier and safer for Americans to cast their ballots. </p><p>Here are 12 interactive charts, maps, and graphics Insider made to make it easier to navigate the rules and deadlines when it comes to voting in the 2022 election:</p><h2>What is the deadline to register to vote in my state?</h2><p>While the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/states-with-in-person-registration-on-election-day-2022-11">deadline to register to vote</a> online or by mail has passed in most states, 17 states and the District of Columbia offer same-day and in-person voter registration.</p><p><strong>Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington,</strong> and <strong>Wyoming</strong> all allow voters to register on Election Day.</p><p>In order to vote in the US you must be 18 years of age or older and a citizen. When completing your registration you'll need to provide the number on your driver's license or non driver state ID card or the last four digits of your Social Security number. </p><p>For voters who are already registered, but have moved, changed addresses, or want to check to make sure their voter registration is still active, they can update their registration at sites in states where same-day voter registration is allowed. </p><h2>When does early voting begin and end?</h2><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-does-early-voting-start-and-end-each-state-2022-11">Early voting</a> for the the 2022 midterm elections on November 8 has already begun.</p><p>Start and end times for early voting vary by state, but can extend all the way up to Election Day. Casting your ballot early gives you a chance to avoid potentially long lines and having to send your vote via snail mail. </p><p>Early voting locations may differ from those on actual Election Day, so be sure to check with your local elections precinct to clarify where you can vote early. Additionally, some states require certain forms of identification to be presented to polling workers when you cast your ballot, so don't forget to see <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/voter-identification-requirements-in-each-state-in-2022-2022-11">what forms of photo or non-photo ID</a> are accepted in your state.</p><p>If you miss the deadline to vote early, you can vote in-person on Tuesday, November 8.</p><h2>What time do the polls open and close on Election Day?</h2><p>For voters who choose to cast their ballots in-person on Election Day, the times <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-time-voting-polls-open-and-close-each-state-2022-11">polls open and close</a> vary by each state.</p><p>Most states have polling sites open for at least 12 hours a day. As noted in the chart, some opening and closing times are dependent on what county and time zone the polling places are located in, so be sure to verify what times your local precinct is open for voting hours.</p><p>States that are split between two time zones may not have full election results available until the last polling station closes.</p><p>Be prepared to wait in line with your state's required proof of identification form ready. </p><p>As long as you are in line by the time the polling station closes, you should be able to cast your ballot in every US state.</p><h2>Do I need to bring identification with me to cast my ballot?</h2><p>In 38 states, voters who head to the polls on Election Day will need to provide <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/voter-identification-requirements-in-each-state-in-2022-2022-11">proof of identification to poll workers</a>.</p><p>The other 13 states do not require voters to show any form of ID when casting their ballot.</p><p>There are four classifications for states with voter ID laws: strict photo, non-strict photo, strict non-photo, and non-strict non-photo.</p><p>For states with photo ID requirements (strict photo and non-strict photo), proper forms of identification that must be shown to poll workers in order to vote include a state-issued driver's license, non-driver ID or voter card, US passport, or a military, tribal, student, or state employee card. Most states have exemptions for citizens who cannot be photographed due to their religious beliefs.</p><p>Non-photo ID states accept mail that verifies the voter's name and address, including pay-stubs, bank statements, and rent or utility bills. Voters can also use official government mailings as their proof of ID.</p><p>Stricter states require voters to cast a provisional ballot or later provide proof of residency to their election officials in order for their votes to count. In less strict states, voters without the required documentation are allowed to cast a sworn affidavit, reasonable impediment declaration, or have a poll worker vouch for them to vote.</p><h2>Can I take time off work to vote?</h2><p>In order to alleviate the stress of having to miss work in order to vote, many states have begun to mandate that employers give their employees <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-states-offer-paid-time-off-for-employees-to-vote-2022-11">time off</a> so they can head to the polls.</p><p>At this time there is no federal mandate for time off, however many states have taken the initiative. Currently 22 states and the District of Columbia offer employees paid time off to vote. There are seven states that offer unpaid time off. Ohio doesn't have a specific limit for voting time off, however only salaried employees are able to receive compensation for their time off to vote, as noted in the chart.</p><p>There are 20 states that still do not offer any time off accommodations for employees looking to vote early or on Election Day.</p><p>Make sure to check the laws in your state and alert your employer in advance if you plan to take time off to cast your ballot.</p><h2>Can I vote by mail?</h2><p>Seven states and the District of Columbia conduct all-mail elections. This means that voters do not have to request their absentee ballots because the state will send them out to most or all voters automatically. Voters in these states can vote in-person during early voting or on Election Day as well.</p><p>Excuses are required in 16 states in order to vote by mail. </p><p>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-states-sent-out-the-2022-midterm-absentee-ballots-2022-11?inline-endstory-related-recommendations=">deadline to request a ballot has passed</a> in most states, but <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deadline-to-submit-your-absentee-ballot-in-2022-midterm-elections-2022-11">there is still time to submit them</a> to election officials if you have not yet done so. Many states will accept ballots as long as they have been postmarked or received by Election Day, November 8.</p><h2>When will I get my absentee ballot in the mail?</h2><p>Many voters may have chosen to vote by mail. The deadline to request an absentee ballot has passed in most states, so voters should have already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-states-sent-out-the-2022-midterm-absentee-ballots-2022-11">received their ballots in the mail</a>.</p><p>Most states began sending mail-in ballots in September and October.</p><p>If you requested an absentee ballot, but have not yet received it, you can vote in-person at the polls on Election Day in most states. You may be required to submit a provisional ballot or sign an affidavit canceling your mail-in ballot if you vote at the polling place. Make sure you <a href="https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/nationwide-voting-info/what-to-do-if-your-absentee-ballot-didnt-arrive/">check what is required by your state</a> to vote on Election Day if you did not receive your ballot in the mail.</p><h2>When is the deadline to submit my mail-in ballot?</h2><p>Many states require mail-in ballots be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deadline-to-submit-your-absentee-ballot-in-2022-midterm-elections-2022-11">postmarked or received by Election Day</a>.</p><p>The deadline to request a mail-in ballot has passed in many states, however there are some states that allow requests within a week of the election.</p><p>The earlier you submit your ballot, the better to avoid any possible delays with the Postal Service. You can also drop off your ballot at some in-person polling locations during early voting and on Election Day.</p><p>Make sure to check if your state requires the ballot to be postmarked or received by the due date listed. On average, first-class mail takes two to five days to be delivered, so it is best to set aside enough time for your ballot to be received on time for counting.</p><h2>Does my absentee ballot need to be verified?</h2><p>Some states have implemented <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-states-verify-the-authenticity-of-absentee-ballots-2022-11">ballot verification</a> rules to ensure the authenticity of a voter's ballot.</p><p>Currently, 27 states require absentee ballots to be verified using a few different methods: signature match, voter signature only, notary or witness signatures, photo ID, or the last four digits of a person's Social Security number.</p><p>If a ballot is rejected, oftentimes it will be returned to the voter so that they can correct the error. This is called the <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vopp-table-15-states-that-permit-voters-to-correct-signature-discrepancies.aspx">signature "cure" process</a>. There are 24 states that require voters to be notified when there is a signature missing or a signature discrepancy on their ballot. In states where this process is not required, ballots are thrown out. Be sure to check if your state has a signature curing process and what you can do to make sure your ballot is counted if it was sent back to you.</p><h2>How do people in the military or overseas vote?</h2><p>Every state allows members of the military stationed overseas and US citizens living abroad to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-submit-your-ballot-in-the-military-2022-11">submit their ballots by mail</a>. Some states allow ballots to be submitted by fax or online.</p><p>As required by the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/99th-congress/house-bill/4393">Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Voting Act</a>, military voters and other US citizens abroad can use the <a href="https://www.fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/Forms/fpca.pdf">Federal Post Card Application</a> to request their absentee ballot. This application both serves as a way for citizens to complete their voter registration and request their absentee ballots ahead of the election at the same time.</p><p>It can be difficult to submit a mail-in ballot on time when you are a military voter, especially when mail delivery can be unreliable in some areas. As an alternative option, 32 states accept ballots through online portals or by fax.</p><p>Military members or citizens stationed overseas can also register to vote and request their absentee ballots from the nonpartisan <a href="https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/vote/home.htm">Overseas Voter Foundation</a>.</p><h2>Can I vote if I have a felony conviction?</h2><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/states-where-people-with-felony-convictions-can-vote-2022-11">Voting rights for Americans with felony convictions</a> have been at least partially restored in most states, but there are many felons who are still facing obstacles to exercising their right to vote.</p><p>There are currently 48 states where voting rights have been restored to some extent. Only Vermont, Maine, and the District of Columbia allow all people with felony convictions to vote.</p><p>In 21 states, those with felony convictions can vote after they're released from prison. In 16 other states, these individuals can vote after they complete their time in prison, parole, and/or probation. In 11 states, people with felony convictions are indefinitely disenfranchised. </p><h2>Can I take a "ballot selfie"?</h2><p>Social media has become a popular way for people to encourage others to exercise their right to vote. Posting photos of yourself with your ballot — also known as a "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-states-allow-ballot-selfies-on-election-day-2022-11">ballot selfie</a>" — is one way voters share how they're exercising their rights. This can be anything from a picture with a mail-in ballot to a photo of an "I voted" sticker. While this may be allowed at certain polling places, many states actually have laws making it illegal to snap selfies at the voter booth or take photos of a marked ballot.</p><p>While state laws don't specifically ban posting photos of ballots on social media, they do prohibit showing marked ballots to others. These laws are to protect voters from bribery, vote-buying, and voter coercion, securing Americans' right to a secret ballot.</p><p>Currently, 27 states and the District of Columbia allow voters to take ballot selfies or use cell phones at the polls. Some states let voters use their phones to access information about the candidates if they need assistance making their decision on Election Day.</p><p>Phone usage or ballot selfies are completely banned in 20 states.</p><p>Many polling places will display signs indicating the rules of phone use, so be sure to check what your local station does and does not allow.</p>

Everything you need to know about voting in the 2022 midterm elections

doors of foreign returnees   <p>Chennai, Mar 24 () Tamil Nadu came under a lockdownon Tuesday evening with public spaces going empty even aslocal authorities began pasting 'home quarantined' stickers onthe doors of houses of foreign returnees in the State.</p><p>Hours before the lockdown became effective at 6 pm,people rushed to market places to buy essential commoditiesthough the government had made it clear that retail outletsdealing with essentials like groceries, hospitals and petrolstations will function.</p><p> Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code andEpidemic Diseases Act, 1897 were invoked by the government toimpose curbs.</p><p> A day after announcing that as many as 3,000 homesare under quarantine watch for cornavirus in greater ChennaiCorporation limits and such houses will be stamped withstickers to ensure social distancing, the city civic bodybegan the exercise today.</p><p>Stickers announcing that "COVID-19/Do not Visit/Homeunder quarantine," with details like name and number of peopleunder watch were pasted on the doors of houses of returneesfrom foreign countries.</p><p>A slogan "Home quarantined. Proud to protect mycommunity," was also found on the stamp.</p><p> Also, home quarantine stamps were stuck on the armsof those under watch by authorities.</p><p>Similar stamping exercise was kickstarted by localbodies in districts including Thanjavur today.</p><p>On the stamping exercise, the authorities said thiswas a "time of emergency and it has to be taken in the rightspirit," in an apparent appeal to people to cooperate.</p><p>While major market places wore a deserted look, roadsand highways across Tamil Nadu became almost empty with onlyvehicles that started plying ahead of the 6 PM deadlineallowed to passby by police after verification.</p><p>Natives of other towns and districts who are workingin Chennai, began leaving the city in hordes since yesterdaywhen the government announced lockdown and since only buseswere available the vehicles got overcrowded.</p><p>People continued to throng the bus terminals to reachtheir destinations on time today as well.</p><p>Bus services were trimmed down by noon and completelyhalted well ahead of the shutdown deadline.</p><p>As the lockdown time neared, crowds began swellingunmanageably at several State-run (TASMAC-Tamil Nadu StateMarketing Corporation) liqour outlets, and police personnel onpatrol vehicles had to wield batons to shoo away people.</p><p>As part of lockdown measures, district borders weresealed by police and they placed barricades to preventmovement of vehicles.</p>Only trucks carrying essential commodities andhealthcare personnel were allowed.  VGNBN   BN

TN goes under lockdown; home quarantine stickers pasted on

The draft <keyword id="2617070" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Personal-Data-Protection-Bill">personal data protection bill</keyword> that seeks to empower the Centre to exempt any government agency from the provisions of the proposed legislation has the industry worried, as they warn that such exemptions represent "new, significant threats" to the privacy of Indians. The proposed bill also provides for voluntary verification of social media users and transfer of non-personal data. <br /><br /> The outcry from industry watchers, analysts and civil society comes amid the draft bill suggesting that the Centre will be empowered to exempt any government agency from the application of the Act and verify social media users.
<br /><br /> One of the provisions of the draft bill states that the Centre can - in the interest of sovereignty, the security of the state, and public order - "direct that all or any of the provisions of this Act shall not apply to any agency of the Government in respect of processing of such personal data..."
<br /><br /> The bill, which was cleared by the Cabinet last week, is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha in the next couple of days.
<br /><br /> Mozilla's Policy Advisor Udbhav Tiwari said that if Indians are to be truly protected, it is urgent that Parliament reviews and addresses "these dangerous provisions before they become law".
<br /><br /> "Indians have been waiting for a strong data protection law for years now, and this latest bill delivers real privacy in regards to processing by companies and is a dramatic step backwards in terms of processing and surveillance by the government. Exceptions for government use of data, the verification of social media users, and the forced transfer of non-personal data all represent new, significant threats to Indians' privacy," said Tiwari.
<br /><br /> Mozilla is the not for profit entity behind the web browser Firefox.
<br /><br /> While the bill seeks to protect personal and sensitive data of individuals, it proposes to allow processing of private data without explicit consent in case of security, credit scores, debt recovery, operation of search engines and whistle blowing.
<br /><br /> The draft bill also states that the central government can frame policy for the digital economy with respect to non-personal data. In particular, it can direct any data processor to "provide any personal data anonymised or other non-personal data to enable better targeting of delivery of services or formulation of evidence-based policies by the Central Government".
<br /><br /> Further, social media entities with user base above a certain threshold and whose "actions have, or are likely to have a significant impact on electoral democracy, security of the State, public order or the sovereignty and integrity of India," will be notified as 'significant data fiduciary'.
<br /><br /> Every social media intermediary classified as a 'significant data fiduciary' will enable the users in India to voluntarily verify their accounts. Any user undergoing such voluntarily verification will have to be provided with a mark of verification that is visible to all users of the service. Such entities will also have to get their policies and conduct (of data processing) audited by an independent data auditor.
<br /><br /> Jaspreet Singh, Cyber Security Leader, EY India said termed the Bill a "double-sided sword".
<br /><br /> Singh said that while it protects the personal data of Indians by empowering them with data principal rights, "it bestows the central government with exemptions which are against principles of processing".
<br /><br /> "The State can process even sensitive personal data when required, without an explicit consent from the data principals. However, the government will need to show that any processing of personal data is necessary and processing of sensitive personal data is strictly necessary for the exercise of any function of the State authorised by law for the provision of service or benefit," Singh said.
<br /><br /> These broadly-worded carve-outs "can be misused and hence need to be carefully examined", he cautioned.
<br /><br /> Arun Prabhu, Partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas noted that portions of the bill have been pared down, and some changes such as the lack of a clear implementation timeline, requirement to share non personal data, obligations for social media verification "may be a potential source of concern."
<br /><br /> He, however, said that certain changes made to the Draft Bill are business friendly, providing for increased certainty, a regulatory sandbox for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and other innovative technology, limiting localisation to non-sensitive data and a potential carve out for non-Indian data processed under contract.
<br /><br /> Gartner said that the primary concern will be the execution of the bill across which will include advisory from regulatory bodies such as RBI, IRDAI, SEBI.
<br /><br /> "There must to very clear guidelines which the enterprises can easily follow without relying completely on consulting service providers. Very clear deadlines must be mentioned and clarity on the fines in case of violation must be clearly mentioned and should be available on public website," Rajpreet Kaur, Principal Analyst of Gartner said.  SR MBI  MR

India's proposed data laws won't apply to the government — businesses cry foul

New Delhi, Dec 24 () Hours after being booked by the CBI over alleged loan fraud, Maruti Suzuki's flamboyant ex-chief Jagdish Khattar on Tuesday said that an exhaustive independent forensic audit at the behest of the bankers did not find any wrongdoings in the functioning of Carnation Auto, which he had created post retirement.  
<p> Khattar, who has been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for an alleged bank loan fraud of Rs 110 crore, said no lapses in operations or financial management were found in the company by the investigating audit authorities and expressed hope that he will be vindicated once the probe is over.</p><p>
</p><p> "Post its (Carnation Auto) failure as a business, an exhaustive and detailed independent forensic audit at the behest of the bankers under the resolution professional was conducted by a leading independent auditor and nothing was found amiss," Khattar said in a statement.
</p><p> Having found no lapses in operations or financial management, the bank (Punjab National Bank) has referred the matter to the CBI as part of the process followed by them, he added.
</p><p> Khattar was with Maruti Udyog Limited from 1993 to 2007 when he retired as Managing Director of the company.
</p><p> After retirement he had launched Carnation for which he got a loan of Rs 170 crore in 2009. The loan was declared non performing asset in 2015 with effect from 2012, the FIR said.
</p><p> The agency has registered an FIR under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and cheating on a complaint from Punjab National Bank.
</p><p> Khattar said he had invested his life savings in the company.
</p><p> "I understand the bank is following a process. I have always made myself available and will continue to fully cooperate with all the agencies. The claims being made were examined in great detail during the forensic audit and we provided satisfactory replies on each," he said.
</p><p> Khattar further said: "We were cleared in the forensic audit on each count. I have no doubt we will be vindicated again once the investigation is completed."
</p><p> Carnation Auto was a first mover to create an open multi-brand auto solutions platform for customers whose cars were outside warranty period and who felt pinched by high maintenance costs. 
</p><p> It unfortunately became a bonafide business failure on account of  many reasons including cartelisation by auto majors by non-supply of genuine parts, Khattar said.
</p><p> Carnation was a board managed company with the highest ethical standards and best management practices, he added.
</p><p> "Some of the most reputed investors in the country including Premji Invest and Gaja Capital were board members who, in their own interest, kept a tight vigil on its operations and finances," Khattar said.
</p><p>  Each financial decision was based on comprehensive business plans and approvals and the company was finally sold to Mahindra Group, he added.
</p><p> The CBI has alleged that Khattar and his company dishonestly and fraudulently sold the goods hypothecated to the bank without its permission and diverted the funds thereby causing criminal breach of trust and cheating that caused wrongful loss to the bank and gain to Khattar and his company.
</p><p> The bank had conducted a  forensic audit which showed that fixed assets to the tune of Rs 66.92 crore were sold for a consideration amount of Rs 4.55 crore without its approval, they said.
</p><p> It is also alleged that sale proceeds were not deposited with the bank and Khattar had dishonestly and fraudulently extended loans and advances to its sister concern/subsidiaries also. 
</p><p> The bank officials allegedly did not do mandatory monthly verification of stock 
and cross check the debtors/creditors, the FIR said adding role of bank officials will be under scanner.
</p> The bank had mentioned five accused persons in its complaint including three guarantor companies-- Khattar Auto India Pvt Ltd, Carnation Realty Pvt Ltd and Carnation Insurance Broking Company Pvt Ltd but their direct role did not surface during the verification exercise.  MSS ANZ  MKJ

Loan fraud case: No wrongdoings found in functioning of Carnation Auto by bankers, says ex-Maruti chief Khattar

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in a letter sent to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has said <keyword id="1007503" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="foreign-entities">foreign entities</keyword> like <keyword id="18635" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> and <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> are hell bent on ruthlessly destroying the Indian retail sector with their deep pockets and expansive lobby of legal experts who will stop at nothing before trampling the lives of over 40 crore Indians.<br /><br />CAIT in a communication sent to Goyal said that FDI in e-commerce section of Press Note No.2 of FDI Policy 2016/2018, the stipulations of which foreign entities like Amazon and Flipkart are hell bent on ruthlessly destroying the Indian retail sector with their deep pockets and expansive lobby of legal experts who will stop at nothing before trampling the lives of over 40 crore Indians.<br /><br />"It is nothing less than a daylight robbery where expressive prohibitions of Press Note No.2 are grossly and blatantly are being violated by such foreign entities derived with their ulterior motives to implement their hidden agenda to control and dominate not only the e-commerce business but also the retail trade of India in a very clandestine manner", it said.<br /><br />CAIT said that instead of complying the stipulations of said Press Note both in letter and spirit to respect the law of the land, these foreign entities are deliberately each and every rule of the Press Note No.2 treating India as a banana republic.<br /><br />Under such a grim situation and particularly in the wake of current highly vitiated e-commerce business, a duty is cast upon the Government to protect sanctity of the law, rules and regulations pertaining to FDI in e-commerce and therefore necessity of a new and fresh Press Note replacing Press Note No.2 of the FDI policy is need of the hour.<br /><br />The loopholes of the present policy are being exploited by foreign e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart so that these loopholes are properly plugged and the policy is implemented as per its original intent.<br /><br />CAIT said that such control allows them do predatory pricing, deep discounting, preferential treatment of sellers with capital dumping through their affiliate sellers at its root. All this is done to gain the market share and make illegitimate financial gains at the expense of livelihood of 8.5 crores small merchants, their dependent families and employees.<br /><br />To circumvent the restriction imposed on the <keyword id="2387771" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketplace-model">marketplace model</keyword> of e-commerce, a common practice resorted to by these giant foreign e-commerce entities has been to create affiliate companies as sellers, in such a way that they have full control on their business by the way of equity and/or economic participation through their parent/group companies without strictly falling within the definition of 'Group Company' in FDI policy.<br /><br />To plug these loopholes CAIT has demanded to include vital points for issuance of a new Press Note on FDI policy in e-commerce. In order to clearly demarcate the boundary between "market place model" and "inventory based model", any type of direct/indirect, equity or economic relationship, between "e-commerce marketplace entity" and "seller on its platform" should be prohibited. For this purpose, any type of relationship between "marketplace entity" and "Seller", whether direct or indirect, equity or economic or otherwise should be strictly prohibited.<br /><br />Such prohibited relationship between Marketplace and Seller may include, but not limited to, Group companies, Affiliates, Related Parties, Associate Companies, Beneficial owners or any other person(s)who can exercise such control.<br /><br />It also suggested that marketplace based model of e-commerce would mean provision of an information technology digital platform by an e commerce entity to act as a facilitator between buyer and seller only.<br /><br />Inventory based model of e-commerce would mean an e-commerce activity where inventory of goods and services is owned by e-commerce entity and is sold to the consumers directly.<br /><br />E-commerce market place entity and its Group Companies will not, directly or indirectly, own or control the inventory i.e. goods or services purported to be sold on the marketplace. Such an ownership or control over their inventory will render the business into inventory-based model.<br /><br />Marketplace entity &amp; its Group Companies shall not, directly or indirectly sell inventory of goods or services purported to be sold on the marketplace to the Sellers. If any goods or services which are sold by the Group Companies of marketplace and are resold in the e-commerce platform, then such activity shall be treated as inventory based model of e-commerce, CAIT said.<br /><br />The seller having ownership or control on its inventory by the Group Companies of e-commerce marketplace entity, is not permitted to sell its goods or services on the marketplace. Inventory of a seller on the marketplace will be deemed to be controlled by e-commerce marketplace entity if such seller purchases its inventory purported to be sold on the marketplace directly or indirectly from its Group Companies. Further, each marketplace entity and its affiliates, group companies, associates shall provide all details, information, documents, statements and returns as required by the Government or any Regulator, at prescribed intervals or from time to time for verification of compliance with the provisions of these guidelines, CAIT said.<br /><br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/kishore-biyani-future-group-appeals-to-the-singapore-arbitrator-to-exclude-future-retail-from-the-fight-with-amazon/articleshow/81562016.cms">Ahead of Delhi High Court's decision, Future Group appeals to the Singapore arbitrator to exclude Future Retail from the fight with Amazon</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/indian-spacetech-startup-pixxel-space-gets-7-3-million-funding-before-the-launch-of-its-first-satellite/articleshow/81562421.cms">Indian spacetech startup Pixxel gets $7.3 million in funding as it announces a new product even before the launch of its first satellite</a><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-adds-3-times-more-subscribers-than-reliance-jio-vodafone-idea-turns-positive-for-the-first-time-in-15-months/articleshow/81562851.cms"><strong>Airtel adds 3 times more subscribers than Jio while Vodafone Idea gets net addition first time in 15 months</strong></a>

'Amazon and Flipkart are destroying India's retail sector,' says CAIT, asks government to revise FDI policy in e-commerce

<br />
<br /> Many years back, it was only 10 percent of the population lived in cities. Today over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas and it is expected by 2050, almost 75 percent of the world’s population will be in cities. The vision for smart cities is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of urban services and there by improve the quality of life. This will include infrastructure development, IT connectivity, e-governance, efficient mobility, energy, water, waste management and <keyword id="3384315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Citizen-Safety-and-Security">citizen safety and security</keyword>.<br />
<br />
In addition to the infrastructure development it is important to utilize the power if Internet and Information technology (IoT) to create cost effective municipal services, improve public transportation, reduce traffic congestion and also engage citizens more in the community. Mega trends are driving the need for connected devices, integrated systems and services across all the areas but the citizen safety and security poses unique challenges.<br />
 <br />
<strong>Mega Trends – India: </strong>31% of India lives in urban areas and contributes to 63% of GDP. This will increase to 40% live in cities and contribute to 75% of the GDP by 2030. This is huge and thanks to the government of India for recognizing the technology needs to cope up with this scale and driving 100 smart cities program in addition to many other initiatives. From the citizen safety and security perspective the main requirements are video surveillance, automated security alerts, public announcements and a coordinated (police, fire and ambulance) emergency response system. Need to address the affordable housing and education for the urban poor too from the social perspective. Most of the Indian cities are equipped with very bare minimal safety and security measures and even the 1 policemen/765 people is below average in comparison with most of the other countries. At the same time the citizen surveys continue to rate the safety and security requirements lower than traffic, transport, water and solid waste issues. The scenario and trends dives the technology need for integration of devices, systems and services on a scalable plug and play technology platform to optimize the performance, add services and create revenue models to meet capital investment and sustainable operations.<br />
 <br />
<strong>Investment and Revenue: </strong><br />
From the capital investment and operations perspective, there is very less possibility to generate the funds through efficiency improvements as the current services are very bare minimal. Additional revenue generation in the safety and security domain through value added services also would be a challenge but <strong>there could be a way out</strong>. Since the traffic and transport management systems which has its own additional revenue generation/cost saving models and are to be implemented on priority, a possible approach would be to implement them using security cameras and public announcement systems which could also address the citizen safety and security.<br />
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The Approach:<br />
The cameras for red light and zebra crossing violation, number plate detection and traffic density monitoring would be able to provide security surveillance too with no/little additional investments.<br />
<br />
A camera at the bus stop to monitor the bus stop assets like information displays and kiosks would be able to provide security surveillance, suspected individuals alert and panic button video support too. <br />
<br />
The public addressing speakers and displays for traffic management could assist police, fire and ambulance services in emergency situations and also for or security announcements.<br />
 <br />
Since India is going to witness the explosive smart phone usage, every mobile could assist security surveillance, panic buttons, emergency / disaster assistance and patching authorized mobile phones to the command and control center will make it immensely powerful.<br />
 <br />
Next steps:<br />
 <br />
A city will become smart when it is able to provide livable infrastructure, education, health care, jobs, and of course safety and security. This is the time to help the central and state governments, respective ministries and city corporations to prioritize the requirements, revenue models, possibilities and also the organizations start building an integrated, futuristic and scalable technology platform which could cater to multiple applications with little extra cost. It is a great opportunity for technology organizations and citizens to participate, innovate and contribute in this nation building exercise.<br />
 <br />
About the Author:<br /> Suresh Kumar KK, is the Head of <keyword id="3384317" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Smart-City-Engineering">Smart City Engineering</keyword> from Robert <keyword id="3384318" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bosch-Engineering">Bosch Engineering</keyword> and Business Solutions Pvt. Limited. He has more than two decades of experience in system/solution architecture, hardware/software development, system integration, verification and deployment across Defense, Automotive, Consumer, Embedded devices and integrated solutions. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.neweurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/be07-1_4.jpg"><em>Image source</em></a><br />

Citizen Safety and Security through a blend of IoT / Smart City solutions

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>screenshot/social media</span></p><p class="caption">A screenshot of a ISIS propaganda video.</p></div><p></p></div></div>An app that's become notorious because of its popularity with terrorists just announced that it now has 100 million monthly users.</p><p>Telegram announced on Tuesday that the app now delivers 15 billion messages a day, with 350,000 new users signing up daily.</p><p>The app was <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/27/meet-telegram-a-secure-messaging-app-from-the-founders-of-vk-russias-largest-social-network/">created by brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov</a>, who wanted a secure and private way to communicate. The brothers are also known for launching Russia's biggest social networking site, VKontakte.</p><p>Western officials and counterterrorism experts have become increasingly worried about the encrypted communications the terrorist group ISIS (also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh) uses to evade authorities and disseminate its propaganda, including through apps like Telegram.</p><p>"Terrorists are using encrypted communications and … very solid cryptography standards that haven't been broken yet," said David Kennedy, the CEO of TrustedSec, who has worked with the Marine Corps' cyber-warfare unit and the National Security Agency.</p><p>"The terrorists are getting very smart on their mode of communications."</p><p>CIA Director John Brennan told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies late last year that terrorists "have gone to school on what they need to do in order to keep their activities concealed from the authorities."</p><p>"I do think this is a time for particularly Europe as well as the US for us to take a look and see whether or not there have been some inadvertent or intentional gaps that have been created in the ability of intelligence services to protect the people that they are asked to serve," Brennan said.</p><p>US officials have been trying to figure out where those gaps are in light of the terror attacks on Paris, for which ISIS claimed responsibility.</p><p>"It is too early to know for sure, but plainly ISIS took steps to conceal this plot from our detection and successfully so," Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Business Insider in a statement last year. "We may learn that the use of encrypted platforms was one part of their operational security, but I don't believe it alone can explain missing such a large and complex coordinated attack."</p><p>It's not clear how exactly the Paris terrorists communicated to plot the attacks, but authorities <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/politics/paris-attacks-terrorists-encryption/">have reportedly found evidence </a>that at least some of the terrorists used Telegram. And encrypted messaging has created difficulties for intelligence agencies more broadly when dealing with terrorism.</p><p>Some experts have cast doubt on the characterization of Telegram's encryption as nearly impenetrable. But nevertheless, <a href="http://grugq.tumblr.com/post/133453305233/operational-telegram">it's not easy to crack</a>.</p><p>ISIS terrorists are known to use encrypted communications to recruit people, disseminate propaganda, and message its members privately.</p><p>In an <a href="https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/tailored-online-interventions-the-islamic-states-recruitment-strategy">October report for the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point</a>, ISIS expert J.M. Berger wrote that "Islamic State recruiters often favor messaging applications with strong encryption."</p><p>"Among the most popular are WhatsApp, Kik, Surespot, and Telegram," Berger wrote. "... The shift to such applications has been described by FBI Director James Comey as 'going dark' - the point at which continued monitoring by law enforcement becomes problematic."</p><p>ISIS doesn't appear to rely on any one platform to communicate publicly and privately. But experts have noted a troubling shift, in particular, to Telegram.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Nadine Rupp/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Pavel Durov</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Russian origins</h2><p>Nikolai and Pavel launched Telegram in 2013. The idea sprang from a run-in with the law in Russia.</p><p>Pavel fled Russia after VKontakte caught the Kremlin's attention and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin took control of the social network, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/technology/once-celebrated-in-russia-programmer-pavel-durov-chooses-exile.html">according to</a> The New York Times. Pavel said he came up with the idea for Telegram when he called his brother during a SWAT standoff at his home in St. Petersburg. The standoff followed 2011 demonstrations over parliamentary elections.</p><p>"I realized I don't have a safe means of communications" with my brother, Durov told The Times. "That's how Telegram started."</p><p>Telegram has not yet achieved the reach of other messaging apps like WhatsApp, which was founded in 2009 and <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/21/not-hatin-just-sayin/#.hsgsddt:S85l">has several hundred million monthly active users</a>.</p><p>Still, Telegram was able to reach millions of people without outside investors, ads, and marketing, Pavel told The Times in 2014. The app is available to download for free, and a phone number is the only requirement that goes along with signing up.</p><p>The company operates as a non-profit to avoid commercial and legal pressure, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/13/telegram-says-its-hit-62-maus-and-messaging-activity-has-doubled/">according to</a> TechCrunch.</p><p>Pavel did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.</p><h2>Channels and private chats</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Nashir English/Telegram</span></p><p class="caption">A message from the "Nashir English" channel on Telegram.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Part of what has made Telegram so appealing to terror groups is the heightened encryption and "channels" (which were <a href="https://telegram.org/blog/channels">introduced in September</a>) that allow users to broadcast to an unlimited number of subscribers.</p><p>Users can also share their contact information easily via usernames and links - if you don't want a person to know your phone number, for example, you can create a username and send the person a link to the app.</p><p>Once the person clicks, it launches the app and opens a chat (or channel) with the username on the link.</p><p>The usernames and links make it easy for ISIS recruiters to share their Telegram contact information on larger platforms like Twitter without exposing the phone numbers attached to the usernames.</p><p><a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/hassan-hassan" target="_blank">Hassan Hassan</a>, an associate fellow at the Chatham House and an expert on ISIS and Syria, told Business Insider that it's also easier to fake your phone number on Telegram than on other messaging platforms like WhatsApp.</p><p>ISIS members "don't want to be tracked so they use fake numbers," Hassan said in an email last year. "... They use these apps so they can send out their messages and communicate securely and without their identities being known."</p><p>"They don't want to be legally tied to a phone number and a pro-jihad Telegram account."</p><p>Hassan explained that ISIS members are typically told use a strong virtual private network (or VPN), which can obscure a user's Internet Protocol address and protect his or her data, enable the two-step verification feature on Telegram, and then link it to an encrypted secure mailbox.</p><p>ISIS Telegram channels have sent out instructions on how to enable two-step verification:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Telegram also has a "secret chat" feature that goes the extra mile to protect the messages from being intercepted. As Telegram's website explains:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Telegram's special <a href="https://telegram.org/#secret-chats">secret chats</a> use end-to-end encryption, leave no trace on our servers, support self-destructing messages and don't allow forwarding. About the only thing secret chats don't have is cloud storage - they can only be accessed on their devices of origin.</p><p>Kennedy explained this encryption method: "The actual communications won't flow through servers, they'll flow directly to individuals, so there's no middle person to intercept the communications."</p><p>And Telegram's self-destruct feature allows users to set a time limit on the messages - they'll automatically delete once a certain amount of time has passed after the recipient opens the message. Users can set messages to delete anywhere from one second to one week after it's opened.</p><p>"They are using military-grade encryption," Kennedy, the TrustedSec CEO, told Business Insider. "Most of the keys are actually stored on each individual system so that makes it very difficult to get any information in the middle. Think of it as an encrypted tunnel."</p><p>Combined with Telegram's prior unwillingness to suspend users who appear to be affiliated with terrorist groups, the app has become a convenient platform for jihadis who want to disseminate their message easily to a large audience and communicate one-on-one without worrying about their messages being easily intercepted by intelligence agencies.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p><p class="caption">A screenshot from Telegram's Android app.</p></div><p></p></div></div>At the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in September, Pavel was asked specifically about ISIS using the app. He said then that privacy took precedence.</p><p>"Privacy is ultimately more important than our fear of bad things happening, like terrorism," Pavel said, <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/09/21/telegram-delivers-12b-messages-a-day-ceo-pavel-durov-says-whatsapp-sucks/">according to VentureBeat</a>. "If you look at ISIS, yes, there's a war going on in the Middle East. Ultimately, ISIS will find a way to communicate with its cells, and if any means doesn't feel secure to them, they'll [find something else]. We shouldn't feel guilty about it. We're still doing the right thing, protecting our users' privacy."</p><p>Pavel's comments illustrate the central struggle of stopping terrorism in the internet age - it's difficult to give governments enough access to intercept terrorist communications without potentially sacrificing everyone else's privacy.</p><p>"Unfortunately today you can't have it both ways: a government that can eavesdrop on communications … and privacy for personal cryptography," Kennedy said. "... [These terrorists understand communications, they understand technology. … This is the next generation of terrorism."</p><p>Since Pavel's comments at the TechCrunch conference, however, Telegram seems to have changed its stance. After the Paris attacks, the company suspended dozens of ISIS-affiliated channels and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/telegram-blocks-isis-channels-2015-11">announced in a statement</a> that it would block terrorist channels.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>ISIS propaganda channels</h2><p>ISIS' Telegram users are very active, sending out hundreds of updates per day - including video, audio, photos, and text statements.</p><p>Channel subscribers can't post anything in the channels, but subscribing gives users quick and easy access to all of ISIS' latest releases.</p><p>"In the aftermath of Paris, propaganda was released on Telegram and on Twitter," <a href="https://twitter.com/rachel_e_bryson" target="_blank">Rachel Bryson</a>, a researcher at the Quilliam Foundation who studies ISIS propaganda, told Business Insider. "... They'll have a Twitter account where they announce on Twitter to follow them on Telegram, so you can subscribe to the account on Telegram."</p><p>Media released on Telegram in the wake of the terror attacks then showed up on Twitter and other online platforms.</p><p>"The top tier of disseminates have Telegram accounts, but Twitter is still a mass-audience platform," <a href="https://twitter.com/charliewinter?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Charlie Winter</a>, a researcher on jihadism and expert on ISIS propaganda, told Business Insider last year.</p><p>The propaganda oscillates from bucolic to brutal - photos of sunsets and shops are mixed in with photos of amputations and airstrikes. Though ISIS certainly uses violence to recruit, it also markets its "caliphate" as an Islamic utopia, emphasizing the government services, food, and other goods that it says are available in its territory in Iraq and Syria.</p><p>This method of marketing might especially resonate with those living in war zones who don't have regular access to basic necessities.</p><p>"There's so much more focus on civilian life than anything else," Winter said. "It's justifying [ISIS'] existence and reason for being."</p><h3>Here's a look at the wide variety of images that pop up:</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram / Nashir</span></p><p class="caption">A photo showing a sunset in Mosul, Iraq.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram / Nashir</span></p><p class="caption">A photo that purports to show a perfume shop in Raqqa, Syria.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p><p class="caption">A photo from an ISIS propaganda channel showing a militant firing a weapon from the back of a truck.</p></div><p></p></div></div>ISIS' official propaganda channels come across as an exercise in branding - the group also dedicates a lot of its messaging to making ISIS look like a full-fledged state with a well-functioning and disciplined military.</p><p>Recently, ISIS propaganda channels on Telegram posted photos showing ISIS militants learning martial arts and engaging in various military exercises.</p><p>The photos and statements in ISIS' official channels come from its media shops around ISIS territory. ISIS has put a lot of effort into its media strategy, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-is-revolutionizing-international-terrorism-2015-5">which is highly sophisticated for a terrorist group</a>. The group regularly produces slick videos and a glossy English-language magazine, along with maintaining an active presence on social media for indoctrinating, recruiting, and disseminating its messages.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Many of the group's channels on Telegram have now been blocked, but new ones keep popping up, and their system for attracting followers seems to be similar to the tactics they use on Twitter.</p><p>One account gets shut down, and a new one pops up in its place. When an ISIS-affiliated Twitter account gets suspended, the user will often create a new account with a similar handle, noting in their new Twitter bio how many times they've been suspended, and then notify a "shoutout" account (which are also often suspended) to mention the new handle and ask other ISIS-supporters on Twitter to follow it.</p><p>Meanwhile, some of the new Telegram channels that have popped up this week are distributing what looks to be official ISIS propaganda in light of the official ISIS Telegram channels (all bearing the name "Nashir") being shut down.</p><p>For its part, ISIS <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/telegram-blocks-isis-channels-2015-11">declared "war" on Telegram</a> after the company started shutting down its channels. ISIS-affiliated channels that hadn't yet been blocked released this statement:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">they started their war on the #islamicState<br />be very careful and from now on nothing is save to use <br />they can give away our info <br />so keep using VPN and<br />be carefull may Allah protect you</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nation-on-the-trail-with-the-gop-frontrunner-2015-11">TRUMP NATION: We tried to answer the 3 questions everyone has about Donald Trump</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="xkbWd4eDo-q2cc7uac6n6EUN8Mq1XpIr" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Inside the app that's become ISIS' biggest propaganda machine

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>screenshot/social media</span></p><p class="caption">A screenshot of a ISIS propaganda video.</p></div><p></p></div></div>On its latest app-of-choice, ISIS is constantly playing "whack-a-mole."</p><p>When one ISIS-affiliated channel was shut down by the Telegram app on Wednesday, another would pop up.</p><p>The channels that hadn't yet been suspended started linking to other ISIS-affiliated channels that were still active. This way, followers of blocked channels could easily find new channels to subscribe to.</p><p>Western officials and counterterrorism experts are becoming increasingly worried about the encrypted communications the terrorist group ISIS (also known as the Islamic State) uses to evade authorities and disseminate its propaganda, including through apps like Telegram.</p><p>"Terrorists are using encrypted communications and … very solid cryptography standards that haven't been broken yet," said David Kennedy, the CEO of TrustedSec, who has worked with the Marine Corps' cyber-warfare unit and the National Security Agency.</p><p>"The terrorists are getting very smart on their mode of communications."</p><p>CIA Director John Brennan told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Monday that terrorists "have gone to school on what they need to do in order to keep their activities concealed from the authorities."</p><p>"I do think this is a time for particularly Europe as well as the US for us to take a look and see whether or not there have been some inadvertent or intentional gaps that have been created in the ability of intelligence services to protect the people that they are asked to serve," Brennan said.</p><p>US officials are now trying to figure out where those gaps are in light of the terror attacks on Paris, for which ISIS has claimed responsibility.</p><p>"It is too early to know for sure, but plainly ISIS took steps to conceal this plot from our detection and successfully so," Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Business Insider in a statement. "We may learn that the use of encrypted platforms was one part of their operational security, but I don't believe it alone can explain missing such a large and complex coordinated attack."</p><p>It's not clear how exactly the Paris terrorists communicated, but encrypted messaging has created difficulties for intelligence agencies more broadly when dealing with terrorism. </p><p>Some experts have cast doubt on the characterization of Telegram's encryption as nearly impenetrable. But nevertheless, <a href="http://grugq.tumblr.com/post/133453305233/operational-telegram">it's not easy to crack</a>. </p><p>ISIS terrorists are known to use encrypted communications to recruit people, disseminate propaganda, and message its members privately.</p><p>In an <a href="https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/tailored-online-interventions-the-islamic-states-recruitment-strategy">October report for the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point</a>, ISIS expert J.M. Berger wrote that "Islamic State recruiters often favor messaging applications with strong encryption."</p><p>"Among the most popular are WhatsApp, Kik, Surespot, and Telegram," Berger wrote. "... The shift to such applications has been described by FBI Director James Comey as 'going dark' - the point at which continued monitoring by law enforcement becomes problematic."</p><p>ISIS doesn't appear to rely on any one platform to communicate publicly and privately. But experts have noted a troubling shift, in particular, to Telegram.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Nadine Rupp/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Pavel Durov</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Russian origins</h2><p>Telegram was <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/27/meet-telegram-a-secure-messaging-app-from-the-founders-of-vk-russias-largest-social-network/">created by Nikolai and Pavel Durov</a>, the brothers who launched Russia's biggest social networking site, VKontakte. The app launched in 2013.</p><p>Pavel fled Russia after VKontakte caught the Kremlin's attention and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin took control of the social network, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/technology/once-celebrated-in-russia-programmer-pavel-durov-chooses-exile.html">according to</a> The New York Times. Pavel said he came up with the idea for Telegram when he called his brother during a SWAT standoff at his home in St. Petersburg. The standoff followed 2011 demonstrations over parliamentary elections.</p><p>"I realized I don't have a safe means of communications" with my brother, Durov told The Times. "That's how Telegram started."</p><p>Pavel claimed in May that Telegram has 62 million monthly active users, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/13/telegram-says-its-hit-62-maus-and-messaging-activity-has-doubled/">according to</a> TechCrunch. He said at a TechCrunch conference in September that Telegram sees about 12 billion messages sent per day. Though these numbers are high, other messaging apps like WhatsApp (which was founded in 2009) <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/21/not-hatin-just-sayin/#.hsgsddt:S85l">have several hundred million monthly active users</a>.</p><p>Still, Telegram has reached millions of people without outside investors, ads, and marketing, Pavel told The Times last year. The app is available to download for free, and a phone number is the only requirement that goes along with signing up.</p><p>The company, which is based in Berlin, operates as a non-profit to avoid commercial and legal pressure, according to TechCrunch.</p><p>Pavel did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. </p><h2>Channels and private chats</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Nashir English/Telegram</span></p><p class="caption">A message from the "Nashir English" channel on Telegram.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Part of what has made Telegram so appealing to terror groups is the heightened encryption and "channels" that allow users to broadcast to an unlimited number of subscribers.</p><p>Users can also share their contact information easily via usernames and links - if you don't want a person to know your phone number, for example, you can create a username and send the person a link to the app.</p><p>Once the person clicks, it launches the app and opens a chat (or channel) with the username on the link.</p><p>The usernames and links make it easy for ISIS recruiters to share their Telegram contact information on larger platforms like Twitter without exposing the phone numbers attached to the usernames.</p><p><a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/hassan-hassan" target="_blank">Hassan Hassan</a>, an associate fellow at the Chatham House and an expert on ISIS and Syria, told Business Insider that it's also easier to fake your phone number on Telegram than on other messaging platforms like WhatsApp.</p><p>ISIS members "don't want to be tracked so they use fake numbers," Hassan said in an email. "... They use these apps so they can send out their messages and communicate securely and without their identities being known."</p><p>"They don't want to be legally tied to a phone number and a pro-jihad Telegram account."</p><p>Hassan explained that ISIS members are typically told use a strong virtual private network (or VPN), which can obscure a user's Internet Protocol address and protect his or her data, enable the two-step verification feature on Telegram, and then link it to an encrypted secure mailbox.</p><p>ISIS Telegram channels have sent out instructions on how to enable two-step verification:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Telegram also has a "secret chat" feature that goes the extra mile to protect the messages from being intercepted. As Telegram's website explains:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Telegram's special <a href="https://telegram.org/#secret-chats">secret chats</a> use end-to-end encryption, leave no trace on our servers, support self-destructing messages and don't allow forwarding. About the only thing secret chats don't have is cloud storage - they can only be accessed on their devices of origin.</p><p>Kennedy explained this encryption method: "The actual communications won't flow through servers, they'll flow directly to individuals, so there's no middle person to intercept the communications."</p><p>And Telegram's self-destruct feature allows users to set a time limit on the messages - they'll automatically delete once a certain amount of time has passed after the recipient opens the message. Users can set messages to delete anywhere from one second to one week after it's opened.</p><p>"They are using military-grade encryption," Kennedy, the TrustedSec CEO, told Business Insider. "Most of the keys are actually stored on each individual system so that makes it very difficult to get any information in the middle. Think of it as an encrypted tunnel."</p><p>Combined with Telegram's prior unwillingness to suspend users who appear to be affiliated with terrorist groups, the app has become a convenient platform for jihadis who want to disseminate their message easily to a large audience and communicate one-on-one without worrying about their messages being easily intercepted by intelligence agencies.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p><p class="caption">A screenshot from Telegram's Android app.</p></div><p></p></div></div>At the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in September, Pavel was asked specifically about ISIS using the app. He said then that privacy took precedence.</p><p>"Privacy is ultimately more important than our fear of bad things happening, like terrorism," Pavel said, <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/09/21/telegram-delivers-12b-messages-a-day-ceo-pavel-durov-says-whatsapp-sucks/">according to VentureBeat</a>. "If you look at ISIS, yes, there's a war going on in the Middle East. Ultimately, ISIS will find a way to communicate with its cells, and if any means doesn't feel secure to them, they'll [find something else]. We shouldn't feel guilty about it. We're still doing the right thing, protecting our users' privacy."</p><p>Pavel's comments illustrate the central struggle of stopping terrorism in the internet age - it's difficult to give governments enough access to intercept terrorist communications without potentially sacrificing everyone else's privacy.</p><p>"Unfortunately today you can't have it both ways: a government that can eavesdrop on communications … and privacy for personal cryptography," Kennedy said. "... [These terrorists understand communications, they understand technology. … This is the next generation of terrorism."</p><p>Since Pavel's comments at the TechCrunch conference, however, Telegram seems to have changed its stance. On Wednesday, the company suspended dozens of ISIS-affiliated channels and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/telegram-blocks-isis-channels-2015-11">announced in a statement</a> that it would block terrorist channels.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>ISIS propaganda channels</h2><p>ISIS' Telegram users are very active, sending out hundreds of updates per day - including video, audio, photos, and text statements.</p><p>Channel subscribers can't post anything in the channels, but subscribing gives users quick and easy access to all of ISIS' latest releases.</p><p>"In the aftermath of Paris, propaganda was released on Telegram and on Twitter," <a href="https://twitter.com/rachel_e_bryson" target="_blank">Rachel Bryson</a>, a researcher at the Quilliam Foundation who studies ISIS propaganda, told Business Insider. "... They'll have a Twitter account where they announce on Twitter to follow them on Telegram, so you can subscribe to the account on Telegram."</p><p>Media released on Telegram in the wake of the terror attacks then showed up on Twitter and other online platforms.</p><p>"The top tier of disseminates have Telegram accounts, but Twitter is still a mass-audience platform," <a href="https://twitter.com/charliewinter?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Charlie Winter</a>, a researcher on jihadism and expert on ISIS propaganda, told Business Insider last month.</p><p>The propaganda oscillates from bucolic to brutal - photos of sunsets and shops are mixed in with photos of amputations and airstrikes. Though ISIS certainly uses violence to recruit, it also markets its "caliphate" as an Islamic utopia, emphasizing the government services, food, and other goods that it says are available in its territory in Iraq and Syria.</p><p>This method of marketing might especially resonate with those living in war zones who don't have regular access to basic necessities.</p><p>"There's so much more focus on civilian life than anything else," Winter said. "It's justifying [ISIS'] existence and reason for being."</p><h3>Here's a look at the wide variety of images that pop up:</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram / Nashir</span></p><p class="caption">A photo showing a sunset in Mosul, Iraq.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram / Nashir</span></p><p class="caption">A photo that purports to show a perfume shop in Raqqa, Syria.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p><p class="caption">A photo from an ISIS propaganda channel showing a militant firing a weapon from the back of a truck.</p></div><p></p></div></div>ISIS' official propaganda channels come across as an exercise in branding - the group also dedicates a lot of its messaging to making ISIS look like a full-fledged state with a well-functioning and disciplined military.</p><p>Recently, ISIS propaganda channels on Telegram posted photos showing ISIS militants learning martial arts and engaging in various military exercises.</p><p>The photos and statements in ISIS' official channels come from its media shops around ISIS territory. ISIS has put a lot of effort into its media strategy, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-is-revolutionizing-international-terrorism-2015-5">which is highly sophisticated for a terrorist group</a>. The group regularly produces slick videos and a glossy English-language magazine, along with maintaining an active presence on social media for indoctrinating, recruiting, and disseminating its messages.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Telegram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>On Telegram, the "whack-a-mole" strategy lives on. Many of the group's channels have now been blocked, but new ones keep popping up, and their system for attracting followers seems to be similar to the tactics they use on Twitter.</p><p>One account gets shut down, and a new one pops up in its place. When an ISIS-affiliated Twitter account gets suspended, the user will often create a new account with a similar handle, noting in their new Twitter bio how many times they've been suspended, and then notify a "shoutout" account (which are also often suspended) to mention the new handle and ask other ISIS-supporters on Twitter to follow it.</p><p>Meanwhile, some of the new Telegram channels that have popped up this week are distributing what looks to be official ISIS propaganda in light of the official ISIS Telegram channels (all bearing the name "Nashir") being shut down.</p><p>For its part, ISIS <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/telegram-blocks-isis-channels-2015-11">declared "war" on Telegram</a> after the company started shutting down its channels. ISIS-affiliated channels that hadn't yet been blocked released this statement:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">they started their war on the #islamicState<br />be very careful and from now on nothing is save to use <br />they can give away our info <br />so keep using VPN and<br />be carefull may Allah protect you</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nation-on-the-trail-with-the-gop-frontrunner-2015-11">TRUMP NATION: We tried to answer the 3 questions everyone has about Donald Trump</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="xkbWd4eDo-q2cc7uac6n6EUN8Mq1XpIr" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

<p>President Barack <keyword id="16284" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Obama">Obama</keyword> laid out his new blueprint for <keyword id="124780" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="immigration-reform">immigration reform</keyword> Tuesday, making a major push on the top legislative priority of his second term. </p>
<p>The proposal is structured around four major points: </p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Strengthening border security</strong></li>
<li><strong>Cracking down on employers hiring undocumented workers</strong></li>
<li><strong>Providing a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented workers currently living in the U.S. </strong></li>
<li><strong>Streamlining the legal immigration system</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Here's the full fact sheet from the <keyword id="6356037" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="white-house">White House</keyword>: </p>
<p>FACT SHEET: Fixing our Broken Immigration System so Everyone Plays by the Rules<br /> <br />America’s immigration system is broken. Too many employers game the system by hiring undocumented workers and there are 11 million people living in the shadows.  Neither is good for the economy or the country.<br /> <br />It is time to act to fix the broken immigration system in a way that requires responsibility from everyone —both from the workers here illegally and those who hire them—and guarantees that everyone is playing by the same rules. <br /> <br />President Obama’s commonsense immigration reform proposal has four parts. First, continue to strengthen our borders. Second, crack down on companies that hire undocumented workers. Third, hold undocumented immigrants accountable before they can earn their citizenship; this means requiring undocumented workers to pay their taxes and a penalty, move to the back of the line, learn English, and pass background checks. Fourth, streamline the legal immigration system for families, workers, and employers. <br /> <br />Together we can build a fair, effective and commonsense immigration system that lives up to our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.<br /> <br />The key principles the President believes should be included in commonsense immigration reform are:<br /> <br />·         Continuing to Strengthen Border Security: President Obama has doubled the number of Border Patrol agents since 2004 and today border security is stronger than it has ever been.  But there is more work to do.   The President’s proposal gives law enforcement the tools they need to make our communities safer from crime.  And by enhancing our infrastructure and technology, the President’s proposal continues to strengthen our ability to remove criminals and apprehend and prosecute national security threats.<br /> <br />·         Cracking Down on Employers Hiring Undocumented Workers: Our businesses should only employ people legally authorized to work in the United States.  Businesses that knowingly employ undocumented workers are exploiting the system to gain an advantage over businesses that play by the rules.  The President’s proposal is designed to stop these unfair hiring practices and hold these companies accountable.  At the same time, this proposal gives employers who want to play by the rules a reliable way to verify that their employees are here legally. <br /> <br />·         Earned Citizenship: It is just not practical to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants living within our borders.  The President’s proposal provides undocumented immigrants a legal way to earn citizenship that will encourage them to come out of the shadows so they can pay their taxes and play by the same rules as everyone else.  Immigrants living here illegally must be held responsible for their actions by passing national security and criminal background checks, paying taxes and a penalty, going to the back of the line, and learning English before they can earn their citizenship. There will be no uncertainty about their ability to become U.S. citizens if they meet these eligibility criteria. The proposal will also stop punishing innocent young people brought to the country through no fault of their own by their parents and give them a chance to earn their citizenship more quickly if they serve in the military or pursue higher education.    <br /> <br />·         Streamlining Legal Immigration:  Our immigration system should reward anyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules.  For the sake of our economy and our security, legal immigration should be simple and efficient.  The President’s proposal attracts the best minds to America by providing visas to foreign entrepreneurs looking to start businesses here and helping the most promising foreign graduate students in science and math stay in this country after graduation, rather than take their skills to other countries.  The President’s proposal will also reunify families in a timely and humane manner. <br /> <br />Continuing to Strengthen Border Security<br /> <br />·         Strengthen border security and infrastructure.  The President’s proposal strengthens and improves infrastructure at ports of entry, facilitates public-private partnerships aimed at increasing investment in foreign visitor processing, and continues supporting the use of technologies that help to secure the land and maritime borders of the United States.<br /> <br />·         Combat transnational crime.  The President’s proposal creates new criminal penalties dedicated to combating transnational criminal organizations that traffic in drugs, weapons, and money, and that smuggle people across the borders.  It also expands the scope of current law to allow for the forfeiture of these organizations’ criminal tools and proceeds.  Through this approach, we will bolster our efforts to deprive criminal enterprises, including those operating along the Southwest border, of their infrastructure and profits.<br /> <br />·         Improve partnerships with border communities and law enforcement.  The President’s proposal expands our ability to work with our cross-border law enforcement partners.  Community trust and cooperation are keys to effective law enforcement. To this end, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will establish border community liaisons along the Southern and Northern borders to improve communication and collaboration with border communities, boost funding to tribal government partners to reduce illegal activity on tribal lands, and strengthen training on civil rights and civil liberties for DHS immigration officers. <br /> <br />·         Crack down on criminal networks engaging in passport and visa fraud and human smuggling. The President’s proposal creates tough criminal penalties for trafficking in passports and immigration documents and schemes to defraud, including those who prey on vulnerable immigrants through notario fraud. It also strengthens penalties to combat human smuggling rings.<br /> <br />·         Deporting Criminals. The President’s proposal expands smart enforcement efforts that target convicted criminals in federal or state correctional facilities, allowing us to remove them from the United States at the end of their sentences without re-entering our communities. At the same time, it protects those with a credible fear of returning to their home countries.  <br /> <br />·         Streamline removal of nonimmigrant national security and public safety threats.  The President’s proposal creates a streamlined administrative removal process for people who overstay their visas and have been determined to be threats to national security and public safety.<br /> <br />·         Improve our nation’s immigration courts.  The President’s proposal invests in our immigration courts. By increasing the number of immigration judges and their staff, investing in training for court personnel, and improving access to legal information for immigrants, these reforms will improve court efficiency.  It allows DHS to better focus its detention resources on public safety and national security threats by expanding alternatives to detention and reducing overall detention costs.  It also provides greater protections for those least able to represent themselves.<br /> <br />Cracking Down on Employers Who Hire Undocumented Workers<br /> <br />·         Mandatory, phased-in electronic employment verification. The President’s proposal provides tools for employers to ensure a legal workforce by using federal government databases to verify that the people they hire are eligible to work in the United States.  Penalties for hiring undocumented workers are significantly increased, and new penalties are established for committing fraud and identity theft.  The new mandatory program ensures the privacy and confidentiality of all workers’ personal information and includes important procedural protections.  Mandatory electronic employment verification would be phased in over five years with exemptions for certain small businesses.<br /> <br />·         Combat fraud and identity theft.  The proposal also mandates a fraud-resistant, tamper-resistant Social Security card and requires workers to use fraud-and tamper-resistant documents to prove authorization to work in the United States. The proposal also seeks to establish a voluntary pilot program to evaluate new methods to authenticate identity and combat identity theft. <br /> <br />·         Protections for all workers. The President’s proposal protects workers against retaliation for exercising their labor rights.  It increases the penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers to skirt the workplace standards that protect all workers.  And it creates a “labor law enforcement fund” to help ensure that industries that employ significant numbers of immigrant workers comply with labor laws.<br /> <br />Pathway to Earned Citizenship<br /> <br />·         Create a provisional legal status.  Undocumented immigrants must come forward and register, submit biometric data, pass criminal background and national security checks, and pay fees and penalties before they will be eligible for a provisional legal status.  Agricultural workers and those who entered the United States as children would be eligible for the same program.  Individuals must wait until the existing legal immigration backlogs are cleared before getting in line to apply for lawful permanent residency (i.e. a “green card”), and ultimately United States citizenship. Consistent with current law, people with provisional legal status will not be eligible for welfare or other federal benefits, including subsidies or tax credits under the new health care law.<br /> <br />·         Create strict requirements to qualify for lawful permanent resident status.  Those applying for green cards must pay their taxes, pass additional criminal background and national security checks, register for Selective Service (where applicable), pay additional fees and penalties, and learn English and U.S. civics.  As under current law, five years after receiving a green card, individuals will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship like every other legal permanent resident.?<br />·         Earned citizenship for DREAMers. Children brought here illegally through no fault of their own by their parents will be eligible for earned citizenship.  By going to college or serving honorably in the Armed Forces for at least two years, these children should be given an expedited opportunity to earn their citizenship.  The President’s proposal brings these undocumented immigrants out of the shadows.<br /> <br />·         Create administrative and judicial review. An individual whose provisional lawful status has been revoked or denied, or whose application for adjustment has been denied, will have the opportunity to seek administrative and judicial review of those decisions.  <br /> <br />·         Provide new resources to combat fraud. The President’s proposal authorizes funding to enable DHS, the Department of State, and other relevant federal agencies to establish fraud prevention programs that will provide training for adjudicators, allow regular audits of applications to identify patterns of fraud and abuse, and incorporate other proven fraud prevention measures.<br /> <br />Streamlining Legal Immigration<br /> <br />·         Keep Families Together. The proposal seeks to eliminate existing backlogs in the family-sponsored immigration system by recapturing unused visas and temporarily increasing annual visa numbers.  The proposal also raises existing annual country caps from 7 percent to 15 percent for the family-sponsored immigration system.   It also treats same-sex families as families by giving U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the ability to seek a visa on the basis of a permanent relationship with a same-sex partner. The proposal also revises current unlawful presence bars and provides broader discretion to waive bars in cases of hardship.?<br />·         Cut Red Tape for Employers.  The proposal also eliminates the backlog for employment-sponsored immigration by eliminating annual country caps and adding additional visas to the system.  Outdated legal immigration programs are reformed to meet current and future demands by exempting certain categories from annual visa limitations.<br /> <br />·         Enhance travel and tourism.  The Administration is committed to increasing U.S. travel and tourism by facilitating legitimate travel while maintaining our nation’s security.  Consistent with the President’s Executive Order on travel and tourism, the President’s proposal securely streamlines visa and foreign visitor processing.  It also strengthens law enforcement cooperation while maintaining the program’s robust counterterrorism and criminal information sharing initiatives.  It facilitates more efficient travel by allowing greater flexibility to designate countries for participation in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of designated countries to visit the United States without obtaining a visa.  And finally it permits the State Department to waive interview requirements for certain very low-risk visa applicants, permitting resources to be focused on higher risk applicants and creates a pilot for premium visa processing.<br /> <br />·         “Staple” green cards to advanced STEM diplomas.  The proposal encourages foreign graduate students educated in the United States to stay here and contribute to our economy by “stapling” a green card to the diplomas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) PhD and Master’s Degree graduates from qualified U.S. universities who have found employment in the United States.  It also requires employers to pay a fee that will support education and training to grow the next generation of American workers in STEM careers.<br /> <br />·         Create a “startup visa” for job-creating entrepreneurs.  The proposal allows foreign entrepreneurs who attract financing from U.S. investors or revenue from U.S. customers to start and grow their businesses in the United States, and to remain permanently if their companies grow further, create jobs for American workers, and strengthen our economy.<br /> <br />·         Expand opportunities for investor visas and U.S. economic development.  The proposal permanently authorizes immigrant visa opportunities for regional center (pooled investment) programs; provides incentives for visa requestors to invest in programs that support national priorities, including economic development in rural and economically depressed regions ; adds new measures to combat fraud and national security threats; includes data collection on economic impact; and creates a pilot program for  state and local government officials to promote economic development.<br /> <br />·         Create a new visa category for employees of federal national security science and technology laboratories.  The proposal creates a new visa category for a limited number of highly-skilled and specialized immigrants to work in federal science and technology laboratories on critical national security needs after being in the United States. for two years and passing rigorous national security and criminal background checks.<br /> <br />·         Better addresses humanitarian concerns. The proposal streamlines immigration law to better protect vulnerable immigrants, including those who are victims of crime and domestic violence.  It also better protects those fleeing persecution by eliminating the existing limitations that prevent qualified individuals from applying for asylum.<br /> <br />·         Encourage integration. The proposal promotes earned citizenship and efforts to integrate immigrants into their new American communities linguistically, civically, and economically.</p>

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