1. India's Surveillance State

2. The substantive legal framework
Telephone:
Section 5(2), Indian Telegraph Act 1885
Internet:
Section 69, Information Technology Act 2000
[Internet data]
Section 69B, Information Technology Act
[Internet meta-data]

3. The procedural legal framework
Telephone:
Rule 419A, Indian Telegraph Rules 1951
Internet:
Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009
[Internet data]
Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Monitoring and Collecting Traffic Data or Information) Rules 2009
[Internet meta-data]

4. (Contd.)
Procurement and review of lawful order

5. (Contd.)
Retrieval of surveillance data

6. Other enabling provisions of law
Section 28, Information Technology Act 2000
Section 29, Information Technology Act 2000
Rule 6, Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules 2011
Rule 3(7), Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules 2011
Rule 7, Information Technology (Guidelines for Cyber Cafe) Rules 2011
Section 91, Code of Criminal Procedure 1973
TSP/ISP licenses

7. Functional surveillance mechanisms
Lawful Interception and Monitoring Systems
Primary sources of surveillance data
Functionalities and number unknown
Central Monitoring System (CMS)
Brainchild of the Department of Telecommunications
Elimination of manual components from the surveillance process
Instant access to surveillance data
Call Data Record analysis
Total fund allocation: 400 crores

8. (Contd.) Network Traffic Analysis (NETRA)
Designed specifically for Internet surveillance
Scans Internet traffic for keywords such as “bomb”, “blast”, “kill” etc.
National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)
Collation and analysis of data from 21 govt. databases
Uses big data and other analytic technologies to build speculative profiles of targets
“Outsourced” surveillance

9. Why should we be worried?
No statutory right to privacy
Executive monopoly
Inadequate consideration of alternatives
Lack of transparency

10. Thank you!