National
Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) Project of India is one of the most
ambitious Intelligence Gathering Project of India. It has been
launched at a time when the Intelligence
Infrastructure of India is in a bad shape.
The recent decision of a Government Panel rejecting the proposal to ban Encryption Service Providers like Blackberry, Gmail, Skype, etc has further made the task of Intelligence Agencies of India more tedious. Since the E-Surveillance option has gone now they have to acquire Techno Legal Intelligence Gathering Skills to deal with sophisticated and encrypted communications.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has also given only “Partial In Principle Approval” to NATGRID Project. Since NATGRID Project is not supported by any Legal Framework and Parliamentary Oversight, the “Crucial Stages” of NATGRID Project has not yet been approved by the CCS. Thus, NATGRID Project of India is still in troubled waters as lack of Privacy Laws and Data Protection Laws has put it in doldrums.
Meanwhile similar Security and E-Surveillance Projects have also been launched by Indian Government. These include Projects like Central Monitoring System of India (CMS), Centre for Communication Security Research and Monitoring (CCSRM), Aadhar Project of India, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), etc. Once again, all these Projects are without any Legal Framework and Parliamentary Oversight.
To make the matter worst, the Law Enforcement Agencies and Intelligence Agencies of India are also practically not governed by any Legal Framework and Parliamentary Oversight. Whether it is Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Intelligence Agencies of India, none of them are presently “Accountable” to Parliament of India.
The recent decision of a Government Panel rejecting the proposal to ban Encryption Service Providers like Blackberry, Gmail, Skype, etc has further made the task of Intelligence Agencies of India more tedious. Since the E-Surveillance option has gone now they have to acquire Techno Legal Intelligence Gathering Skills to deal with sophisticated and encrypted communications.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has also given only “Partial In Principle Approval” to NATGRID Project. Since NATGRID Project is not supported by any Legal Framework and Parliamentary Oversight, the “Crucial Stages” of NATGRID Project has not yet been approved by the CCS. Thus, NATGRID Project of India is still in troubled waters as lack of Privacy Laws and Data Protection Laws has put it in doldrums.
Meanwhile similar Security and E-Surveillance Projects have also been launched by Indian Government. These include Projects like Central Monitoring System of India (CMS), Centre for Communication Security Research and Monitoring (CCSRM), Aadhar Project of India, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), etc. Once again, all these Projects are without any Legal Framework and Parliamentary Oversight.
To make the matter worst, the Law Enforcement Agencies and Intelligence Agencies of India are also practically not governed by any Legal Framework and Parliamentary Oversight. Whether it is Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Intelligence Agencies of India, none of them are presently “Accountable” to Parliament of India.
See ICTPS Blog for more.
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