{"id":120770,"date":"2021-07-23T19:56:36","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T14:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=120770"},"modified":"2021-07-23T19:56:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T14:26:36","slug":"the-laws-for-surveillance-in-india-and-the-concerns-over-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-laws-for-surveillance-in-india-and-the-concerns-over-privacy\/","title":{"rendered":"The laws for surveillance in India, and the concerns over privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Source<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/project-pegasus-the-laws-for-surveillance-in-india-and-the-concerns-over-privacy-7417714\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indian Express<\/a> ,\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/opinion\/columns\/pegasus-scandal-shows-we-cannot-take-privacy-for-granted-7417678\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indian express\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recent Pegasus attack has raised questions over the degree of protection awarded to an individual\u2019s privacy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance<\/strong> &#8211; Article highlights laws governing <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">surveillance in India.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Background<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the report of a global collaborative investigative project, Pegasus spyware may have been used by Israeli based NSO group to conduct surveillance on about 300 Indians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Why is the Pegasus attack a concerning issue<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the allegation is true that the government can<\/span><b> misuse the critical information for electoral gains,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> it undermines the spirit of democracy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the government has claimed that all interception in India takes place lawfully. So, what are the laws covering surveillance in India?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Laws Covering surveillance in India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communication surveillance in India takes place primarily <\/span><b>under two laws \u2014 the Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Information Technology Act, 2000<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Telegraph Act, 1885<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It deals with interception of calls. <\/span><b>Section 5(2)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows for the interception.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The section states that the <\/span><b>Central Government or a State Government <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or any <\/span><b>officer <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">specially authorized by them may order interception of any telegraph.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\/she can direct that any message or class of messages shall not be transmitted, or shall be intercepted or detained, or shall be disclosed to the Government making the order. The reasons for such an order <\/span><b>should be recorded in writing.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such an order can be made in the interests of\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the sovereignty and integrity of India,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the security of the State,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">friendly relations with foreign states or\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of an offence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, a <\/span><b>proviso <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in <\/span><b>Section 5(2) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">states that even this lawful interception cannot take place against journalists.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Public Union for Civil Liberties v Union of India (1996)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The SC pointed out the lack of procedural safeguards in the provisions of the Telegraph Act and laid down certain guidelines for interceptions.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It called for setting up a review committee that can look into authorisations made under Section 5(2) of the Telegraph Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These guidelines formed the basis of introducing rule 419A in the Telegraph Rules in 2007 and later in the rules prescribed under the IT Act in 2009.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Rule 419A states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that a Central Home Secretary and State Home Secretary can issue interception orders on behalf of the center and state governments, respectively.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In unavoidable circumstances, Rule 419A adds, such orders may be made by an officer, not below the rank of a Joint Secretary.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, such an officer should be duly authorised by the Union Home Secretary or the state Home Secretary.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b>Information Technology Act, 2000:<\/b><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was enacted to deal with surveillance of all electronic communication, following the Supreme Court\u2019s intervention in 1996.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>The Information Technology (Procedure for Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009 were enacted to further the legal framework for electronic surveillance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Under Section 69 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the IT Act, all electronic transmission of data can be intercepted. Apart from the restrictions provided in Section 5(2) of the Telegraph Act and Article 19(2) of the Constitution, the section adds another aspect that makes it broader.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It broadens the scope of interventions as it allows interception, monitoring and decryption of digital information \u201cfor the investigation of an offence\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further, it <\/span><b>dispenses with the condition precedent set under the Telegraph Act that requires<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cthe occurrence of public emergency in the interest of public safety\u201d which widens the ambit of powers under the law.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b>Way Ahead<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The current legal framework on surveillance has a wide divergence amongst themselves as pointed out by <\/span><b>Justice A P Shah committee<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They differ on \u201ctype of interception\u201d, \u201cgranularity of information that can be intercepted\u201d, the degree of assistance from service providers etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, there is <\/span><b>a need to test the wide reach of these laws in the court against the cornerstone of fundamental rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IT intermediary rules 2021 and the government&#8217;s 2018 order are being already challenged in the SC.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The order authorised 10 security and intelligence agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further, <\/span><b>a comprehensive data protection law <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to address the gaps in existing frameworks for surveillance should be enacted as recommended by the B.N Srikrishna Committee.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: Indian Express ,\u00a0 Indian express\u00a0 Synopsis:\u00a0The recent Pegasus attack has raised questions over the degree of protection awarded to an individual\u2019s privacy.\u00a0 Relevance &#8211; Article highlights laws governing surveillance in India.\u00a0 Background: According to the report of a global collaborative investigative project, Pegasus spyware may have been used by Israeli based NSO group to&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-laws-for-surveillance-in-india-and-the-concerns-over-privacy\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The laws for surveillance in India, and the concerns over privacy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10322,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230,9],"tags":[216,8587],"class_list":["post-120770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","category-public","tag-gs-paper-3","tag-surveillance-in-india","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1702879052},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10322"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120770\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}