Thursday, July 4, 2013

Privacy Ignored By The Cyber Security Policy Of India

The National Cyber Security Policy (NSCP), 2013 has declared the broad outline regarding cyber security framework of India. Since it is an outline not many details have been provided about its components and objectives.  The implementation hurdles are also present that would make actual implementation of the NCSP very tedious.

Cyber security experts have also opined that the proposed NCSP may not be very effective in the present circumstances and framework. The main reason for the same may be that Indian government has been very lax and lethargic while implementing cyber security related issues in India. Another related reason s the fact that actual implementation of the NCSP is still a very distant dream.

Consider the initiatives proposed by Indian government in this direction. These include the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIPC), National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC), National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), etc. These projects have not only failed to materialise but they are also devoid of any legal framework supporting the same. In short, even if they are implemented they would violate civil liberties of Indians just like the Central Monitoring System (CMS) of India.

India has definitely adopted the e-surveillance model and in this quest it has deliberately failed to enact privacy and data protection legislations. This strategy has also been adopted by the National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP) of India as it has failed to protect privacy rights in India. The policy has also failed to maintain a balance between civil liberties and national security requirements of India.

The true impact of the NCSP 2013 could be analysed once the government actually starts implementing the same. Till then self defence mechanisms in cyberspace must be adopted by those interested in preserving and protecting their privacy and civil liberties.