VPN Providers Threaten to Quit India Over New Data Law

Concerns of overreach are not unwarranted. India was responsible for 106 of the 182 documented internet shutdowns in 2021, according to data published by Access Now. The country has held the title of internet shutdown capital for the fourth year in a row. The INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals

The approach to law enforcement has others worried. According to data gathered by service provider Atlas VPN, one in five Indians used a virtual private network in 2021, up from 3 percent in 2020. In countries such as Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Cambodia, there has been an increase in the use of VPNs. It shows how people in India are using a virtual private network to avoid blocking of popular websites.

There is another reason why Indians are pursuing VPNs: the roll out of a controversial nationwide identification database. The ID system known as Aadhaar was launched in 2009, assigning citizens a 12-digit identity code based on their information. Proponents say that it is part of a plan to make it easier to access government services. It's opponents say that it's an attempt to put a surveilled state into existence under the auspices of making things. The new rules for VPNs providers are part of a larger mission to control what is said and by whom in India.

South Asian governments are competing with each other in this operational Olympics around violating the digital rights of their citizens. Pakistan's government tried to introduce a law in October of 2021 that would give it the right to monitor and censor any content posted on social media in the country. Pakistan has blocked access to social media sites to maintain public order. Similar concerns have been raised in Indonesia, where digital platforms have to register with the communications ministry and agree to provide access to their systems and data on request. According to Freedom House, internet freedom has reached an all-time low in Bangladesh as the governing party uses laws to crack down on political dissent through social media.

India will have to decide whether or not to grant CERT-In's request or withdraw their support. If providers adopted a halfway-house solution, it would make it impossible for Indians to sign up while in practice quietly permitting them to find a workaround. What starts in India will have global implications. The worry is that more liberal governments will follow the Indian- Chinese model. The US joined India, the UK, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand in signing an international statement asking for back doors that would subvert encryption standards.