NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an order granting ten central intelligence and security agencies access to information stored, recieved or transmitted in computers.
The notice, issued on Thursday, says the agencies can intercept, monitor and decrypt “any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.”
These ten agencies are:
- Intelligence Bureau
- Narcotics Control Bureau
- Enforcement Directorate
- Central Board of Direct Taxes
- Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
- Central Bureau of Investigation
- National Investigation Agency
- Cabinet Secretariat(RAW)
- Directorate of Signal Intelligence(For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only)
- Commissioner of Police, Delhi
The order, issued under Section 69(1) of the Information Technology Act, was signed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
MHA: Competent authority hereby authorizes the following security and intelligence agencies (in attached statement) for purposes of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said act pic.twitter.com/3oH9e7vv6T
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2018
The notification further explains that subscriber or service provider or any person in charge of the computer resource will have to share all facilities and technical assistance to the 10 listed agencies. Failure to do so will result in seven years jail and a fine.
With this, agencies can now conduct surveillance and monitor social media without prior approval from MHA.
With agency inputs
Source: Zee News