In April 2013, India began implementing a $75 million clandestine Central Monitoring
System (CMS) that will allow the government to access all digital communications and
telecommunications in the country under the guidelines issued by DOT (Department
Of TeleCommunication).
Content covered by the CMS will include all online activities, phone calls, landlines, text
messages and even social media conversations.
Central and regional database which will help Central and State level Law Enforcement
Agencies in Interception and Monitoring.
Call Data Records (CDR) analysis and data mining on CDRs to identify call details,
location details etc. of the target numbers.
The 'Netra' internet spy system has been developed by Centre for Artificial Intelligence
and Robotics (CAIR), a lab under Defence Research and Development
Organization (DRDO).
It is currently being tested by Intelligence Bureau and Cabinet Secretariat and will be
deployed to all national security agencies.
Use of words like 'attack', 'bomb', 'blast' or 'kill' in tweets, status updates, emails or blogs
will be put to surveillance by security agencies as the government will soon launch
'Netra'.
The Home Ministry is giving finishing touches to 'Netra', which will be deployed by all
security agencies to capture any dubious voice traffic passing through software like
Skype or Google Talk, besides write-ups in tweets, status updates, emails, instant
messaging transcripts, internet calls, blogs and forums.
Netra
CMS makes the process of tapping more prone to misuse by the state. If the state can
intercept communication directly, without making requests to a private
telecommunication service provider, then it is one less layer of scrutiny through which
the abuse of power can reach the public.
There is no one to ask whether the requisite paperwork is in place or to notice a dramatic
increase in interception requests.
Opponents of the system and human rights advocates worry the government may abuse
the CMS to monitor or arrest political critics rather than to enhance national security as
intended.
It is argued that without comprehensive privacy laws in India, the system will not be
sufficiently accountable, and could chill free expression.
In 2011, Parliament passed new data protection rules, but there is still no privacy law in
India. So, Parliament must pass a Privacy Bill to address data protection and improper
surveillance of people.
Indian government should also establish a proper and strict mechanism to ensure that no
data of any kind travels to foreign nations because in that case our sovereignty would be
badly threatened. For this purpose India can ask Google, Facebook, Yahoo and other
internet giants for setting up local servers in India.
Conclusion
In the wake of national security and use of Internet by terrorist groups to carry out their
operations, India needs to immediately establish a system like Netra to arrest such activities. But
it should not go with an unaccountable and opaque system, rather it should constitute a
transparent and just system which should ensure privacy rights of civilians. Moreover it should
not be used be used for any type of political benefits but should we harnessed to prevent the
terrorist activities operating through internet.
--Ashish Sharma
References:
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2013/11/india-online-report-freedom-expressiondigital-freedom-3/
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=54679
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-01-06/news/45918687_1_securityagencies-netra-inter-ministerial-group
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/big-brother-is-watching-you/article5530857.ece
http://ptlb.in/clpic/?p=261