I am the author of the article in today's Indian Express on how the amended
infotech act permits unrestricted snooping. My name is there in the print
edition, But due to some snafu goof up, none of the authors names of any edit
page article is presented on the Indian Express website.

I had written a 6000 word 3 page article on how section 69 of the amended
infotech act permits unrestricted snooping as the cover story of Current weekly,
issue of Mon 26 Jan 09 to 01 Feb 09. Can send hard copies to all those who want
to subscribe to it. Unfortunately, Current is not on the web since our scoops
get copied by other journalists.

ASSOCHAM had an excellent seminar yesterday on the new Act, with each clause
analyzed in detail by several experts.

Root Of All Evil
==========================

Root Of All Evil

Fourth Generation Warfare in South Asia at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/4gw

Command, Control, Communications & Computers Intelligence, Surveillance &
Reconnaisance at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/c4i

Pakistan-India Military Scenario Modelling & Wargaming Simulation at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pak-india

Strategic Analysis of China at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/china-strategy


--- On Fri, 6/2/09, Vickram Crishna <v1clist@...> wrote:

> From: Vickram Crishna <v1clist@...>
> Subject: [india-gii] My life is an open book...
> To: "India GII" <india-gii@...>
> Date: Friday, 6 February, 2009, 9:27 AM
> ... or an open computer, disk drive, pen drive etc etc.
>
> The IT Amendment bill 2008 (our listmember Naavi has some
> amusing remarks to make about how even the nomenclature of
> the bill, quite aside from the manner of its passing, falls
> short of Parliamentary standards) dispenses with all such
> niceties as data protection etc, empowering the unwarranted
> (literally) intrusion of heavy flat feet into the digital
> equivalent of your hearth and home.
>
>
> This anonymous article in Indian Express, spotted by
> another listmember, Nandkumar Saravade, spills the beans in
> some detail
> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/yes-snoopings-allowed/419978/0
> .
>
> About the snooping clause in the 1885 Telegraph Act, upon
> which our digital security rested until recently, the author
> says, "Many calls have been made, both inside and
> outside Parliament, to
> formulate rules to govern the operation of Clause 5(2). But
> ever since
> 1885, no government has formulated any such precautions,
> since all
> governments have wanted to retain the right to spy on their
> opponents
> unfettered."
>
> Evidently, the blame for this dreadful situation rests
> entirely with PUCL, which filed a suit in 1991 for the
> enforcement of the clause, which was then upheld in 1996.
> Our poor beleagured government, faced with issues of
> national security so dire that no magistrate can be trusted
> to weigh her duties with the application of justice in mind,
> had perforce to fill in the gaps with the IT Act 2000, and
> then amend it in 2006 (which didn't happen, hence
> Naavi's remarks, as the amendment bill has not been
> dropped), and finally in 2008.
>
> Listmembers will be gratified to learn that the offending
> agency (PUCL) has been taken to task, with one office
> bearer, Dr Binayak Sen, clapped in jail without bail and
> trial, arrested under various terror laws for over a year
> and a half, while unfriendly foreign powers (such as the
> United Nations, apparently) have been seeking to undermine
> India's sovereignty by giving him various awards.
>
> Luckily, the overworked Parliament, which had to really
> stretch itself to create a record for the number of days
> (38, I think) put in defending our integrity during the
> year, was able to squeak through the Amendment Bill, despite
> the fact that many more urgent pressing matters filled the
> Well of the House, through a fortunate and brief (17
> minutes, just enough time to pass 7 other Bills) gap in the
> floor.
>
> Vickram
> http://communicall.wordpress.com
> http://vvcrishna.wordpress.com
>
>
>
>
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