It is clear now that the Centre has dropped all arguments for “public good” when it comes to mass surveillance measures. Two recent develop...
It is clear now that the Centre has dropped all arguments for “public good” when it comes to mass surveillance measures. Two recent developments illustrate this. A report by the Indian Express said the government had been asking telecommunication companies for the call data records of all users in certain pockets of the country on certain days. Another investigative series by the HuffPost India shows how the Centre is planning a National Social Registry, a “360 degree database” to track the lives of all Indians.
Neither measure seems to be backed by law or follow due process. As the government pushed forward with them in stealth, it dispensed with the usual justifications for mass surveillance that violates privacy guidelines set down by the Supreme Court – national security or the targeted delivery of goods and services.
Mass requests for call data records were sought in January and February. In a letter to the telecom department, mobile service providers noted that no reason had been offered for requesting such great amounts of data. They also violate the procedure for call requests laid down in 2013, after a snooping scandal shook the government.
The social registry seems to have flowed from a project to update the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census. An exercise to...
