The Center fortified its choice to permit 10 organizations to conduct surveillance by monitoring, decrypting, or intercepting any data produced, received, stored, or transmitted in any computer within the Information Technology Act, 2000 and message interception within the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.
Referring to “severe threat to the nation from radicalization, terrorism, cybercrime, cross border terrorism, drug cartels, organized crime,” in its affidavit, the Center stated: Although Right to Privacy is a sanctified Fundamental Right, the blanket of confidentiality can be removed for lawful state interest, integrity, or sovereignty of India; public order; or affable associations with foreign states.
The listing of the grounds defending the supervision by the state organizations also comprises “averting provocation to the commission of any detectable offense” entailing the interest of the state requiring an inquiry. It pinpointed that the threat to the nation from radicalization, terrorism, cybercrime, cross border terrorism, drug cartels, organized crime, cannot be “ignored or understated” and a “robust & powerful mechanism” for actionable and opportune intelligence is crucial.
Having defended recognizing 10 organizations for conducting surveillance after permit by the competent authority under Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and Section 69 of the IT Act, 2000, the Center stated there was rules, law, and that standard operating processes for conducting surveillance are pursued.
Likewise, a new research paper has delineated security flaws in 5G and 4G networks that enable hackers to snoop on phone calls and trail locations of users utilizing their smartphones. As per Syed Rafiul Hussain, one of the co-authors, the attack can be conducted by anybody who is knowledgeable about cellular paging protocols. The team asserts that these new hits can even beat newer defenses that have been installed asserting “better protection.” The attacks impact major US carriers, while Asia & Europe carriers are also susceptible.
