Pegasus row: Government has the right to lawful interception

The government has the right to lawful intercept when national security is at stake and respects our fundamental rights, said Rajiv Chandrasekhar, Minister of Electronics and IT. In response to a recent scandal over Pegasus snooping, speaking at the Times Now Summit 2021, Chandrasekhar also said that the government has had legal interception rights for decades if a criminal suspect’s phone was intercepted.

“As long as it is lawful intercept. There are no (discussion) requirements. This government respects our basic rights … it is actually the guardian of those basic rights. But to the government Has a lot to do to protect citizens who deserve law, order and safety, and the tools they continue to use legally,“ he said.

Last month, the Supreme Court appointed a panel of three members of cyber experts to investigate allegations of the use of Israeli spyware Pegasus to monitor certain people in India.

In response to recent revelations that Facebook’s system was unable to control the spread of fake news and false information on the platform and actually contributed to the facilitation of hate speech, Chandrasekhar said how to regulate it. When it comes to understanding, the world is a big platform on the Internet that said it was struck by surprise.

“And that also applies to India. Australia; Japan; US and Western Europe.” He said, whether it’s US section 79 or section 230, mediators are what’s happening on those platforms. He said he was allowed to be an unaccountable intermediary.

“But if the Internet is secure, consumer-trusted, and mediators have to be accountable to users, then some form of rule needs to be introduced.” He said, both large and small platforms follow the rule. He added that he had to play. “You might think that cyberspace has no geography or boundaries. But in India, for example, no one can drag down the basic rights of citizens … there is a backlash. They push it back and spin This would be about government control, but I can assure you and your audience that this government has promised to keep the Internet open. We are only interested in ensuring that the Internet is secure, trusted and accountable to our users. ”

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced an explainer on the new Information Technology Regulations, which came into effect on May 26. This document turns over the details of the originator of the message, but is also an important social media intermediary such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal.

The FAQ, which provides answers to over 20 questions, also explains what the appropriate government authorities need to provide before asking for information about content removal or posting.

Answers questions about the content and amount of user information that an intermediary needs to retain. Disclosure of details regarding complaint officers. Above all, compliance with various prescribed time frames by intermediaries.

It also specifies the reason for the breach of the rule by the intermediary. India News Republic