Using a VPN in India?
May 10, 2022
I read “VPN Providers Are Ordered to Store User Data for 5 or More Years in India.” The land of Khichdi is a fair piece from rural Kentucky. On the other hand, the VPN providers and crypto exchange platforms can be as near as one’s mobile phone or laptop. So what?
The write up points out:
The Indian government has published a directive that will force VPN providers and crypto exchange platforms to store user data for at least five years, even when customers have since terminated their relationship with the companies in question. Decision makers at businesses who don’t comply with the new ruling could face up to one year in prison, with it going into effect in late June 2022.
Yes, just another law. What makes this interesting is that VPN, according to some enthusiastic promotional material, preserves one’s online privacy. That sounds like a great idea to many people.
What happens if those VPN records are reviewed prior to their deletion by the VPN providers who insist that the users’ data are not preserved? I also like the VPN vendors who suggest that logs are not preserved.
If India’s directive yields some bad actor identification and incarceration, what other countries will use India’s approach as a springboard. The abuse of some online capabilities has been friction free in some places. Russia appears to have some doubts about VPNs. China? Yep, China too.
Perhaps the days of laissez-faire will end with a reprimand from Yama?
Stephen E Arnold, May 10, 2022
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