How Fake IPL Player stopped hackers
By Resmi Jaimon

Few Indian blogs have captured the imagination of cricket loving India more than the Fake IPL Player.  Launched in April, 2009, in synch with the IPL matches; the Fake IPL Player soon attracted a readership running into hundreds of thousands.  National print and TV media covered the blog in great detail.  In August, 2010, the blogger unmasked himself as ex IT-ITES employee.

There was so much interest in the Fake IPL Player blog, that India’s No. 1 English media house Times of India signed up an exclusive deal with Anupam Mukerji when he decided to publicly reveal himself in late Aug, 2010 as the author of the popular blog.

Techgoss was intrigued at how the ex Wipro and currently full time writer managed to keep his secret for so many months.  After all, there are many Indian techies with excellent hacking skills who could have used their computer security expertise to track down the author of the blog.  Or his secret could have leaked out after the publication of his anonymously written book ‘The Gamechangers’ which was based on the behind the scene machinations in cricket.

So, we asked Anupam Mukerji on how he kept his online identity secure.

Techgoss (TG): Tell us a bit about your background.  You used to work for one of India's top IT-ITES companies.  What was it like to be a creative person in a world of sometimes cold bits and bytes?
Anupam Mukerji (AM): Well, I was never into the technical side of things. I was part of the marketing team at Wipro Technologies. But, it was still quite creatively unsatisfying. I was doing reasonably well on the job, but every bone in my body ached for creative satisfaction. The worst part was that even the offices, with their cubicles and grey interiors were quite uninspiring. After having quit the technology industry for more than six years, whenever I go into a software company office, I can feel all the ghosts of the past return to haunt me.

TG: How did you get the idea of Fake IPL Player?
AM: It was a sudden idea. I have no recollection of the moment when it struck me. It just happened and I started it without giving it much thought. I am more inclined to attribute it to joblessness arising out of the economic recession and consumption of psychotropic substances than any genius on my part.

TG:  Hundreds of thousands of Indians loved your blog.  Naturally, many wanted to know who Fake IPL was!  Did you have many techies trying to track down your IP address or sending you software that would pin point your computer?  Did you have to take many hardware/software precautions to keep your identity a secret?
AM: Yes, I did face several attempts at hacking my blog. And I was told that many were trying to infect my computer with spyware. A techie friend of mine helped me protect myself from these attacks. He would constantly upgrade my anti virus and keep doing checks on the site and my computer. And he advised me on how to keep changing my password. Funnily enough, I didn’t know what he was doing, but people were tracking my IP to California and London and all sorts of places, but never Bangalore.

TG:   Did anyone of your friends or family members know you were blogging as a fake IPL Player? If so, what kind of support did you receive from them?
AM: Yes. A few friends knew. And they were all supportive. My father also knew and he was most encouraging. He asked me to go ahead with the blogging without any fear whatsoever.

TG:   How has it helped you by blogging as an IPL player? Why did so many people believe you were a real IPL player?
AM: Well, it helped make the blog popular. Although I always maintained that I was a Fake IPL Player, I don’t know why the whole world thought I was real. I just assume that the world wanted the fake to be real.

TG:   You have published a book as the Fake IPL Player.  What sort of precautions did you have to take to ensure that your identity was kept secure in the publishing house?
AM:  I signed a confidentiality agreement with them right at the start. Plus, only their chief editor knew my identity. During the editing phase, one more person within her team knew who I was. Everything was kept strictly at a need to know basis.

TG:   What now?  Have you left the tech world to write full time?
AM:  I was never really into technology. But yeah, I have left the industry to concentrate on my writing career. Hopefully, this will take me somewhere.

TG:   What made you reveal your identity at this point? What kind of feedback have you received following revealing your identity?
AM:  Once I decided that I won't be continuing the Fake IPL Player persona, I knew at some point I would like to tell the world that it was all a hoax. Most people still believed every word I had written and I owed it to everyone to tell the truth. At this point, I had nothing to sell or gain by revealing and it seemed like the perfect time to get the monkey off my back and get on with my life.

TG:   What kind of job offers did you get once Times TV/newspaper revealed your identity in prime TV time?
AM:   I have got a few writing assignments post my revelation. Some of them want to leverage my newfound fame. But I want to concentrate on the things that I really want to do. And I am working solely on my film script.

TG:   Do you or do you have plans to write another anonymous blog?
AM:   No. The days of Fake IPL Player are over. I would like to get on with life as Anupam Mukerji.