In India, one of the most common uses of VPNs is to access pornographic websites, many of which were banned by the Modi government in 2019. People also use VPNs when they are using public or unsecured networks. VPNs are often used by journalists and activists to bypass government censorship and safely browse the internet. At the moment, it looks like an excessive data retention policy that is going to lead to state-sponsored mass surveillance, that too, in the absence of a data protection law,” Tejasi Panjiar, Capstone Fellow at Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a New Delhi–based digital rights advocacy group, told Rest of World.Ī VPN allows a user to browse the internet while protecting their information by masking their device’s IP address, encrypting their data, and routing it through secure networks in other states or countries. “If the government says it will increase cybersecurity, they must come up with a justification and explanation. They expressed concern over the data security and how it may be misused under the new directive and in the absence of a data protection framework. At least five cybersecurity experts and digital rights activists who spoke to Rest of World said the new rule could violate citizens’ privacy. This directive does not only defeat the purpose of VPNs but is also possibly aimed at state-sponsored surveillance, cybersecurity experts said. The government said the move was an effort to “coordinate response activities as well as emergency measures with respect to cyber security incidents” and help it fill “certain gaps” that cause hindrance in handling cyber threats. Under the new directive, VPN companies will need to hand over this information to the government if asked, and companies that do not comply with the rules can face a fine or their officials can be imprisoned. On April 28, the Narendra Modi–led government directed the companies offering virtual private network (VPN) services to collect and store users’ data - names, addresses, contact numbers, email, and IP addresses - for up to five years.
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