The Information Technology department of India is currently working on the draft of National Encryption Policy (NEP). If this policy gets applied in India, then government can snoop on data of the users on online service without any glitch. Information technology wing of Indian government (Department of Electronics and Information Technology) also known as DeitY, can have full access of your data stored on servers of various online service providers like whatsapp, iMessage or Google Hangouts.
When it comes for encryption of data, Blackberry is the leader in high security data encryption system which cannot be tracked or cracked. But, Indian government asked BlackBerry to let them access the data of BlackBerry users, so they can track the conversations between users and track down the potential threats. BlackBerry refused to grant access to users’ data to the Indian government, so they proposed a nationwide ban on BlackBerry.
After hearing the news of Ban, BlackBerry agreed to grant them the access of their system. This action was taken to track down potential threats to Indian territory. Now, Indian Government is making mandatory for all companies to provide government full access to their user database and other information.
Deleting WhatsApp messages may become illegal in India
When it comes to Whatsapp, they have End-to-End security system for all chat conversations, so these conversations cannot be tracked or accessed from server side. They are not accessible from anywhere due to full encryption to the data. That’s why, the government will ask users to store their WhatsApp conversation history for minimum time frame of 90 days, i.e., 3 months. This action is proposed in the draft on DeitY’s National Encryption Policy Draft on which they are working.
As WhatsApp messages cannot be accessed from server side due to end-to-end encryption, in any case, users may be asked to present their WhastApp chat records to officials when demanded. The Government might take this step to prevent any type of conspiracy against the nation. Preciously, under terrorist attacks and other criminal cases, criminals and terrorists were making use of these messengers and online services to plan and execute their crimes. So, the government is deciding to force other online service providers to let IT Department to snoop on suspicious people.
According to the draft of “National Encryption Policy”, companies who use encryption technology to encrypt user data must enter into an agreement to provide their services in India. This agreement will give government access to this database when needed. If any company refused to sign this agreement, then they’ll not allow to offer services in India because, this policy advices that “Indian citizens must use services which are registered in India”.
If Government implements this policy, then not just a regular WhatsApp user, but every Indian Internet user will get affected. There will be no privacy for anyone using online service as everything is accessible for Indian government. The government is taking action from the National Security point of view, but if not implemented correctly, this will be a breach of everyone’s privacy.
If you do not agree with this policy, then you have the chance to submit your queries, strategies and suggestions on “akrishnan@deity.gov.in ” up to 16th October, 2015. You can send them mail regarding your views on this policy.
Want to check what’s in this “National Encryption Policy” draft? Then Check this official uploaded Policy draft on the official DeitY website.
Feel Free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Fan Page and Add us to your circles on Google+ to keep you updated with the latest technology news, gadget reviews, launches around the world and much more
