Arun Jaitley, Congress fight over MHA order on monitoring computers

Dec 21, Association Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Anand Sharma over his comment on the MHA arrange enabling ten organizations to screen any PC.

Jaitley in Rajya Sabha accused Sharma for "making a mountain where a molehill does not exist". He explained that on a similar request of authorisation was repeated which was existing since 2009.

"On December 20, same request of authorisation was repeated that was existing since 2009. You are making a mountain where a molehill does not exist," said Jaitley. "No innocent person needs to worry."

The former Union minister Anand Sharma had said that the BJP government is changing over India into a surveillance state through the order.

"It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy. It is additionally in direct clash with the Supreme Court judgement that privilege to security is a principal right. The government has done it by strength we collectively oppose it," Sharma had told reporters.

He said it gives ultimate power to state agencies to screen each data and catch it through surveillance, which is unacceptable.

The legislature has approved 10 central agencies to intercept, screen and decrypt all the data contained in any PC framework. The request was passed late night Thursday by the 'cyber and information security' division of the Union Home service under the specialist of Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.

According to the order, 10 central probe and snoop organizations are presently engaged under the Information Technology Act for PC interception and analysis, officials said.

The 10 offices are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in administration regions of J-K, North East and Assam) and Delhi Police.

The agencies have been approved "with the end goal of capture attempt, checking and unscrambling of any data created, transmitted, got or put away in any PC asset under the said Act (segment 69 of the IT Act, 2000)", the request states. Area 69 of the IT Act manages the "ability to issue bearings for block attempt or observing or decoding of any computer resource".

According to an earlier order, the Union home secretary is also empowered to approve or sanction the intelligence and security agencies for undertaking tapping and analysis of phone calls under the provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act.