[Off Topic] :Indian government can switch off your internet if necessary

[bsfmig]

Please be known that the Chinese Government had already done that once in
XinJiang since Jul 2009 when some* DAMN UIGHUR THUGS* attempted to trigger
dispute and riots then, and the cut-off of the network lasted until early
2010.

On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 17:29, arun singh <arun.arwachin at gmail.com> wrote:

> *Indian government can switch off your internet if necessary*
>
>
>  Complete control and the right to shut down cyber traffic during
> sensitive situations is still a very debatable topic among the western
> nations. But the Indian government, keeping all debates aside has ventured
> in full-speed to acquire the right of 'killing your internet' whenever
> required and has incorporated a provision under the IT Act of 2008.
>
> While the western countries are yet mulling over their jurisdication of
> complete control debating the The Indian government has armed itself with
> powers to 'switch off' or kill the internet during times of national
> emergencies, becoming one of the first few countries to assume such far
> reaching authority.
> Even as the US and other western nations debate the judiciousness of giving
> the government's complete control to shut down cyber traffic, India has
> moved a step ahead and incorporated a provision under the IT Act of 2008,
> giving the Central government, or any of its officers specially authorised
> by it, to block the internet if necessary. The shutdown can happen in the
> interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, its defense, security of its
> states, friendly relations with foreign states or for public order. Failure
> to comply will result in imprisonment of up to seven years.
>
> The implications of this move are immense as it gives the government
> overriding powers over a fast-growing and widely used resource, and one that
> is becoming increasingly crucial in conducting commerce and social
> interaction. The country has about 70 million internet users ? a figure
> growing at about 25% every year. 'Where the Central government or any of its
> officer specially authorised by it in this behalf is satisfied that it is
> necessary or expedient so to do in the interest of sovereignty and integrity
> of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with
> foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the
> commission of any cognisable offence relating to above, it may subject to
> the provisions of sub-sections (2) for reasons to be recorded in writing, by
> order direct any agency of the government or intermediary to block access by
> the public or cause to be blocked for access by public any information
> generated, transmitted, received, stored or hosted in any computer
> resource,' 69A of the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008 says.
>
> The amendment was pushed through in the weeks following the 26/11 attacks
> in Mumbai. Supporters of an internet 'kill switch' ? as it is being
> popularly called ? say it will enable countries to prevent the spread of
> rumours and false information during times of national crisis and help
> coordinate a coherent response without any sign of public panic. But it can
> also be misused by governments to shut down legitimate protests and exercise
> illegal power in the face of public opposition. The governments in the North
> Africa and the Middle East have been resorting to this tactic during the
> violent protests triggered in January this year against despotic rule.
>
> The plan has drawn predictable ire from bloggers, activists and lawyers but
> the government also has its supporters. 'If it's in national security's
> interest, switching off the internet for a short period is not unwelcome,'
> says Amrita Chaudhary, director at Cyber Cafe Association of India. 'It is
> not a bad idea to switch off the internet for security reasons. But we
> should distinguish between national security and privacy,' Naresh Ajwani,
> secretary at Internet Service Providers of India, said. Not satisfied with
> this provision, India is now moving ahead to develop alternate plans in case
> the 'switch' does not work. The draft plan by the Cabinet Committee on
> Security and Ministry of Home Affairs along with Ministry of IT &
> Communications to 'choke' the internet at will, which ET reported last year,
> is also learnt to be in its final stages.
>
> Source : ET
>
> --
> Regards
> Arun
> --
> ubuntu-users mailing list
> ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> Modify settings or unsubscribe at:
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-users/attachments/20110316/90d006d3/attachment.html>