VPN companies respond
The news fueled anger across the tech world as these requests run roughshod over the principles and policies upon which virtual private networks and other security software are based.
VPNs are technology aimed to protect users' internet privacy and secure their data inside an encrypted tunnel. They aim to prevent third parties from tracking users' activities as well as accessing their sensitive information.
It might not only affect people’s privacy, but also freedom of speech.
Laura Tyrell, Head of PR, Nord Security
A strict no-logging policy - meaning that, beside some functional logs, the service doesn't retain any information about you and your activities - is, therefore, a guarantee that most private VPN services offer to their subscribers. Something that providers are not eager to negotiate.
"It is premature to say if we will launch a legal challenge, but Proton has taken measures like that in the past and routinely appeals invasive law enforcement requests. Regardless, we remain absolutely committed to our no-logs policy and preserving our users’ privacy,” a spokesperson from ProtonVPN told TechRadar.
Commenting on this point, Laura Tyrell at NordVPN said: "In the past, similar regulations were mostly introduced by authoritarian governments in order to gain more control over their citizens. If democracies are going to follow the same path, it might not only affect people’s privacy, but also freedom of speech."
The new Indian VPN regulations are an assault on #privacy and threaten to put citizens under a microscope of surveillance. We remain committed to our no-logs policy and recommend everyone using our servers in India to follow these guidelines: https://t.co/85WTkUJ5Z6. (1/2)May 5, 2022
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First steps towards a VPN ban?
With most VPN providers vocally defending their no-logs policies and some others even threatening to pull their servers out of the country (opens in new tab), the government might decide to go further and ban all the services that don't comply with its demands.
On the other hand, it was less than a year ago when the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs proposed the banning of VPN service in India to counter cybersecurity threats.
Although, Tyrell thinks that there is still a concrete possibility that the directive would change: "It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which all local companies are able to adjust their infrastructure and operations in time, therefore there is still a chance that the proposed wording and timeline of the regulation may not be final."
What's at stake for users' privacy?
According to the latest statistics from AtlasVPN, India has more than 270 million (opens in new tab) active VPN users who enjoy a better network security, online anonymity and geo-restricted content.
Furthermore, ProtonVPN told TechRadar: "The rules would not only make it harder for people to protect their data online but also give the government more tools to monitor people’s locations and identities while eroding civil liberties more generally."
That's especially worrying in a country where many journalists using this software to cope with a media freedom under attack - India just dropped to 150th out of 180 countries (opens in new tab) in the 2022 Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index.
And it's not just privacy that's a concern, as the change could also mean higher fees for India VPN users.
As Tyrell from NordVPN explains: "From what it seems, the new law will definitely create additional difficulties for the internet infrastructure providers and their operations. Overhead in operation costs may translate into increased costs to end users which for some people might complicate internet access in general."
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