People in Kashmir asked to furnish security bonds before being allowed internet access

As per undertaking, companies/individuals required to provide complete access to all content & infrastructure as and when required by security agencies

>Ishfaq Tantry/TNS

Srinagar, November 17

With internet and broadband shutdown in Kashmir having entered into 105th day today, the authorities are demanding furnishing of the bonds from the institutional subscribers before allowing opening of the leased lines or broadband connections to them.

As per the undertaking, with one such draft also accessed by The Tribune, it is being demanded by the authorities that the “company will provide complete access to all its content and infrastructure as and when required by the security agencies.

The undertaking or the bonds , sources revealed, are to be furnished by the internet seekers or the subscribers to the Internet Service Providers, who in turn shall furnish them to the concerned security agency or agencies before Internet Service Provider is given a green signal to open or provide the internet connection to the particular company.

The “undertaking for usage of Internet Services” states measures to be undertaken by the particular company “to make sure that the internt is restricted to business purposes only”.

In the undertaking the companies have to ensure that “from the allowed IP address, there will be no Social Networking , Proxies, VPINs and Wifi”.

An official at one of such privately owned internet service providers in Srinagar said that anyone who wants to have access to the internet will have to seek permission from the Police and for this purpose the company/individual will have to first furnish a particular undertaking, the format of which is available with them.

The Company, as per the underataking will have to “ensure that no encrypted file containing any sort of Video/Photo will be uploaded from the particular “ IP allowed by the Internet Service Provider and that all the USB ports would be disabled on the network.

The other technical measure to be undertaken by the companies or individuals include having “MC binding in place to restrict internet access to the registered devices through single PC.

The undertaking or the bond furnished by the company further states “that the company will provide complete access to all its content and infrastructure as and when required by the security agencies”. EOM