Google, Skype under regulatory scanner: May Face ban in India
After Blackberry, seems Google and Skype are the firms to face ban in India. Skype, the Internet phone service, and Google, which uses powerful encryption technology for its Gmail service, are likely to be amid the line of firms to come under New Delhi’s scanner.
According to the spokesman for the home ministry, if a company is providing telecom services in India then all communications must be available to Indian security services. If Google or Skype have an element that is not easily reached, that will not be possible. The message is the same for everybody.
According to the close sources, Skype, which uses Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP) technology that sends calls over the Internet, poses a difficulty for the domestic intelligence services.
As per the reports by the Press Trust of India, notices would be sent to Skype and US Internet giant Google.
India is also targeting virtual private networks(VPN)â€, which give employees secure access to their company networks when they are working out of the office.
BlackBerry services can be supervised: DoT
After increasing pressure from the Indian government on RIM, Indian telecom minister has suggested a formula that can help in monitoring the device’s encrypted mails. The suggestion came in the middle of a meeting between the Home Ministry, security agencies and Canadian firm Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry that operates on networks of other telecom service providers.
According to the DoT, Enterprise mail services offered on BlackBerry platform and other services provided on Virtual Private Network (VPN) can possibly be monitored by providing a clear email from the enterprise email server to the monitoring system located at each of the Internet Service Provider’s premises. The possibility of the solution will be discovered after having discussion with the intelligence bureau and ISPs.
RIM, DoT officials’ confirmed that, it is vague to the possibility of locating a server or servers at ISP premises on the ground of technical non-feasibility of such a solution.
BlackBerry has a million of subscribers in India and the services are mounting. BlackBerry service are provided by nine telecom operators including government owned BSNL and MTNL, Airtel, Vodafone, RCom and Tata .
The DoT has commanded the Ministry of Home Affairs to check the place as stated by RIM with respect to interception and monitoring of various services provided on BlackBerry platform. In case the solution doesn’t work out, DoT would have no option but to ask the operators not to offer the enterprise email services on BlackBerry platform.
According to a source close to this deal, the technology being offered by Canadian firm RIM is likely to be put under test by the security agencies tomorrow.
