IT Act 2008 is unacceptable

Big Brother (Government of India or GOI) could really be watching. The Information Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2006 that was passed by Parliament on December 28, 2008 allows the government to intercept messages from mobile phones, computers and other communication devices to investigate 'any offense'.

Unauthorized interceptions could soon become common. Parliament passed the bill on December 28, 2008, which stipulates life imprisonment for those indulging in cyber terrorism and giving the government endless power to "intercept or monitor any information through any computer resource," experts/we fear that unauthorized interceptions could soon become common".

This Bill is a hurried reaction to 26/11 (Mumbai Carnage). Since the terrorists have used the ease and relative anonymity of the Internet to plan and execute attacks, the government's decided to monitor all online activity.

The act will empower the government to block access to any website in the national interest, which could lead to censorship. Several ambiguous provisions like those prescribing punishment for the transmission of any sexually explicit material electronically, quite separate from the measure dealing with child pornography, are too vague and open to misuse.

We request government to reconsider the decision to provide, to police, the endless power over monitoring personal lives of its citizens. It is bound to get misused.