2023-06-18 06:05:59
India has recently banned a number of apps from the country’s residents that they believe are linked to terrorism. In early May, the country blocked messaging apps that use encryption because the government said they were likely to be used by terrorists.
The local press according to since the beginning of May, they have blocked 14 applications that allow end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and peer-to-peer (P2P) messaging for users. Among the prohibited applications are, for example, Wickrme, Mediafire, Briar, BChat, or Nandbox.
India’s central intelligence agencies are behind the decision, which said such apps were being used by terrorists and their supporters in Jammu and Kashmir. The intelligence agency said that these help terrorists and their associates to carry out activities that violate India’s sovereignty and integrity and are capable of disrupting peace and harmony.
The security of privacy has been compromised
The decision was made more in the background of preventing people from using secure and anonymous messaging apps. By taking measures like this, governments are ignoring the fact that encrypting messages actually keeps people safe. In the words of Phil Zimmermann, if people’s privacy is banned, then only outlaws will have privacy.
The Free Software Community of India (FSCI) argues that denying these rights violated several existing laws. A complete and absolute ban on mobile applications is a disproportionate restriction of freedom of speech and expression. Furthermore, it is not clear whether the ban came into effect across India or only in the states of Jammu and Kashmir. In order to promote transparency, the IFF has made a series of Right to Information requests to ministries and authorities to obtain the blocking order and to request more information about it.”
“In our view, the ban does not serve their stated purpose, as there are many alternative applications that could be used by terrorist organizations in the same way.” FSCI said.
Individuals belonging to the Free Software Community of India petitioned the Kerala High Court for the publication of the ban order as well as the disclosure of the banned applications, arguing that the ban order was illegal.
In addition to the encrypted messaging apps banned in Jammu and Kashmir, Chinese apps also do not comply with the rules for India. In 2020, the country imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese applications due to data protection and security concerns. To date, hundreds of Chinese apps are banned in India. These include PUBG Mobile, Tiktok, Shein, WeChat, and AliExpress, for example.
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