Intelligence Bureau proposes ban on Chinese Mobile Messengers
The Intelligence
Bureau (IB) has proposed a ban on Chinese mobile messengers, including WeChat,
following concerns that proliferation of such services can pose a threat to
national security. Blocking access to such websites in accordance with the
licensing conditions governing Internet service providers is one way of
checking them, the country's internal intelligence agency pointed out at the
second meeting of the inter-agency operational working group on June 4. According
to an internal note reviewed by ET , deputy national security advisor Nehchal
Sandhu asked IB to discuss the matter with the home ministry and the telecom
department to devise a methodology to block access to such sites. WeChat, an
instant mobile messaging application, claims a worldwide subscriber base of 300
million and competes with popular mobile applications such as Whatsapp and
BlackBerry messenger. With revenue from SMS on the decline, telecom operators
have been exploring tie-ups with such messengers to shore up their data
revenue. Sandhu also proposed to limit the access of various ministries and
departments to Internet so as to make government's communication more secure.
"A limited number of interface points could be effectively protected. The
DRDO has floated a paper on the subject," he said.
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