India's Surveillance Plan Said to Deter Business
New York Times (09/27/10) Vikas Bajaj ; Ian Austen
The Indian government's demand that network operators give them the ability to monitor digital communications whenever the Home Ministry decides that it is vital to national security could deter global businesses and keep India from becoming a hub for technology innovation, according to some critics. "If there is any risk to that data, those companies will look elsewhere," says former Canadian ambassador to India Peter Sutherland. The government already has threatened to block encrypted BlackBerry services, but it also wants access to other popular Internet services, such as Skype and Gmail. However, critics say that India's security efforts may not protect the country but instead will violate the privacy of companies and citizens. "The concern of corporate users and general users of BlackBerry is that if this is allowed, the government will become the single biggest repository of information," says Indian technology lawyer Pavan Duggal. The government also has reduced the importation of foreign telecommunications equipment, for fear that it contains malicious software. Meanwhile, other countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia, are trying to implement various Internet security measures similar to India's, as is the United States, which recently proposed new electronic eavesdropping powers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/business...
The Indian government's demand that network operators give them the ability to monitor digital communications whenever the Home Ministry decides that it is vital to national security could deter global businesses and keep India from becoming a hub for technology innovation, according to some critics. "If there is any risk to that data, those companies will look elsewhere," says former Canadian ambassador to India Peter Sutherland. The government already has threatened to block encrypted BlackBerry services, but it also wants access to other popular Internet services, such as Skype and Gmail. However, critics say that India's security efforts may not protect the country but instead will violate the privacy of companies and citizens. "The concern of corporate users and general users of BlackBerry is that if this is allowed, the government will become the single biggest repository of information," says Indian technology lawyer Pavan Duggal. The government also has reduced the importation of foreign telecommunications equipment, for fear that it contains malicious software. Meanwhile, other countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia, are trying to implement various Internet security measures similar to India's, as is the United States, which recently proposed new electronic eavesdropping powers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/business...
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