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The Indian government recently imposed a new restriction on online browsing: it attacked VPN services, which are used by Internet users to browse anonymously on the Web. New Delhi says these hidden connections could hinder the fight against cybercrime. And it undermines the privacy of this VPN service. In a country where online expression is increasingly restricted, this act scares many people.
From our correspondent in New Delhi,
Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are software that allows you to connect to the internet via external servers – many of which use them to access other countries’ networks, and thus circumvent national censorship, and others to browse anonymously and prevent network giants from collecting personal data. they. data. Like WhatsApp, this VPN company guarantees complete anonymity in communications.
The service is legalized in almost every democracy in the world, but the Indian government has just challenged this system: it is now forcing VPNs to collect their users’ personal data and store it for 5 years, to make it an available authority when needed.
” If an incident or crime is reported, the access provider is obligated to show who is using this server », said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Ministerial Delegate for New Technologies. ” So, yes, if your business model is to provide anonymous internet access, it’s not going to work. And I think the world is now aware of the damage done by anonymity over a VPN.. »
Anonymity in view of the Indian government
But VPNs embarrass governments for another reason: VPNs allow journalists to investigate anonymously. Devesh Kumar is a data analyst and journalist for The Wire, and it was he who revealed that the ruling BJP party has created the Tek Fog software, which manipulates social media trends and orchestrates hate campaigns in line.
During the two years investigating this topic, I used a VPN around the clock, to make sure the government wasn’t spying on my activities. If this system no longer exists, the authorities will know what we are doing and they will hide the evidence before it is revealed or they will harass us.
In recent months, Indian authorities have arrested, among other things, a young environmental activist or a well-known journalist for their online activities. And social network Twitter recently filed a complaint against the Indian state, claiming that they asked it to remove content in an abusive manner.
Therefore, in this context, some are concerned that the end of VPN anonymity will further expose government criticism. So far, only 10 countries have banned or severely restricted the use of VPNs, including China, Russia, Belarus or North Korea.
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