Technology

The guitar became a pillion rider: Bengaluru's AI traffic cop keeps fining its mistakes

Bengaluru Traffic Police's AI cameras flag more than 19,000 violations a day. But after one camera mistook a guitarist's instrument for a helmetless pillion passenger and issued a Rs 500 challan — which even human review failed to stop — the claim of '99% accuracy' is looking shaky.

4 October 2026 · 2 min read

Technology

India erases Bitchat: Dorsey's offline messenger wiped from app stores as ISPs block its site

Jack Dorsey's Bluetooth-mesh messaging app Bitchat has vanished from India's Apple App Store and Google Play — and its website from Indian ISPs — after a MeitY takedown order under Section 69A. The app needs no internet, servers or accounts, and keeps working during shutdowns.

4 October 2026 · 2 min read

Technology

Tamil Nadu's first booth-less toll plaza goes live at Paranur

Gantries with RFID readers, radar and number-plate cameras have replaced manned booths on the Chennai–Tiruchi highway. About 46,500 vehicles a day use the plaza; FASTag vehicles pass without stopping, while others get challans.

1 October 2026 · 2 min read

The main gate of IIT Madras in Chennai. The study was supported by the institute's Wadhwani School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

Technology

"Engineered brain freeze": IIT Madras study finds cyber fraudsters target doctors, bankers and even security experts

Interviews with 33 victims across five cities found that digital literacy offered little protection. Fraudsters struck at moments of stress, and losses ran from a few thousand rupees to more than ₹1 crore.

30 September 2026 · 3 min read