A new law will be implemented on VPN services in India
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has asked VPN operators in India to collect information such as customers’ names, email addresses and the IP addresses used to connect to the web. asked for. The report noted that the national agency that oversees computer security has asked companies to retain data for at least five years and provide information to authorities.
CERT-In has explained that this new law is important to combat cybercrime and protect the “sovereignty or integrity of India” and the security of the state. The agency has also said that the new rules will come into effect from September 25, the report said.
Why VPN Providers Have Decided to Shut Down Their Servers in India
According to the report, the withdrawing VPN companies and internet-rights groups have said that by collecting such data, the companies will “endanger the privacy of their users and undermine online speech.” Some digital groups have also implied that the new rules are “more typical of those imposed in China or Russia” and cannot be found in democratic countries.
A spokesperson for NordVPN, which has also decided to shut down its servers in India, has said that these rules are commonly used by authoritarian governments to gain more control over their citizens. “If democracy follows the same path, it has the potential to affect the privacy of the people as well as their freedom of expression,” he said.
Some other VPN services have also recently stopped operating servers in India. These providers include US-based Private Internet Access and IPVanish, Canada-based TunnelBearBritish Virgin Islands-based ExpressVPN, and Lithuania-based surfsharkAdds report.
In addition, ExpressVPN has also refused to participate in the “Indian government’s efforts to limit Internet freedom”. Private Internet Access has complained that the government’s move “seriously undermines the online privacy of Indian residents.”
However, Indian users will be able to connect to VPN servers in other countries. Users in Russia and China will have to take the same approach because operating servers within these countries also require VPN companies to comply with a similar law.
what about apple iCloud private relay
The report noted that the new law also applies to Apple’s iCloud Private Relay, which is also a VPN service used only for the Internet. Safari browser. The iCloud Private Relay System is designed to allow a single party handling user data access to complete information on both who the user is and what they are trying to access the report notes.
According to the report, Apple’s Private Relay uses modern encryption and transport mechanisms to relay traffic from user devices through Apple and partner infrastructure before sending it to the destination website.
However, the company is yet to comment on its plans to offer VPN services in India and is expected to announce its decision soon. In addition, the new rule also applies to cloud storage services, however, in this case, it will not have much practical impact on Apple, confirms the report. The company keeps a copy of your decryption key because iCloud does not use end-to-end encryption. Therefore, it can easily comply with government demands for information.