Public Notice Against Illegal Monitoring And Interception

[kesav 127]

DoT released public notice against illegal monitoring and interception of telecommunication.

DoT requests all owners(including individuals, private organisations, Govt. organisations)of equipments used for above purpose to be registered with TERM cells within 60 days from date of this publication.

Owning unregistered equipments beyond expiry of registration period will be treated illegal and prosecuted.

http://dot.gov.in/Security/Public%20Notice_18.10.2010.pdf

Kudos to DoT

:clap:

[Karthik R 246]

I was not aware of private organisations monitering calls! And by individuals do you mean geeks How could they infringe into our freedom and space? And I was under the impression that the telecom operators strictly wont allow such monitering of their subscriber's calls expect in situation where the law or Govt. agencies requires them to do so. - Anyway welcome move, though long due.

[kesav 127]

There are lot and lot of monitoring devices available in grey market which can be used to intercept/monitor the calls and are specifically used to hook onto politicians and businessmen mobiles.

These devices can hook onto any mobile phone within its radius of some metres.

Landline interception is quite easy as you might have seen in lot of movies.

Edited October 22, 2010 by kesav

[kesav 127]

Another public notice by DoT on the subject.

http://dot.gov.in/as/security/sw_30.12.2010.pdf

[sgiitk 32]

Who will bell the cat?

[kshah 452]

There are lot and lot of monitoring devices available in grey market which can be used to intercept/monitor the calls and are specifically used to hook onto politicians and businessmen mobiles.

These devices can hook onto any mobile phone within its radius of some metres.

can you elaborate or give more info about type of devices or links?

[rajanmehta 4,056]

can you elaborate or give more info about type of devices or links?

Kalpakbhai is thinking of Starting the Dis-Obedience Movement even before the Compliance Starts....Lol...Long Live The REBEL...

[Honest 836]

Govt may seize phone tapping machines

The Economic Times l 12 Feb l New Delhi

The government plans to retrieve nearly 2,000 so-called passive interception machines that can be used to tap phones. These machines were imported over a five-year period, a senior official in the home ministry told ET on condition of anonymity.

The buyers, around 2,000 in all, include private security agencies, companies that are part of large business houses, as well as official users such as the police and government’s intelligence services. Almost 90% of these were imported by the private sector over the five-year period tracked by the ministry, said the official.

The ministry, which has carried out an internal investigation into the import of phone-tapping equipment, has asked the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Department of Telecom (DoT) to verify and locate all these machines and take them back.

Oddly, while the import of such machines was not illegal—till last year they were in the open general licence, or OGL, list—their usage is. That is because only the government has the authority to tap phones. Government agencies are trying to figure out why so many private companies imported this equipment since there is no legal use to which they could have been put to. The only legitimate non-state users are private telecom companies that can intercept and record phone conversations if directed by the government.

“The imports were not illegal because they were in the OGL. It was only last year that they were put on the restricted list,” the official quoted earlier said. He declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.

“We have asked the IB to carry out a verification and the machines would be taken back, “ the official added.

Home Secretary GK Pillai declined comment on the matter.

The DoT has asked private players to return these equipment. “All companies or individuals that have imported, procured or possess interception equipment must mandatorily submit all details of these instruments by March first week. They have to submit it to the respective telecom enforcement, resource and monitoring (TERM) cells of DoT,” a top DoT official said.

The department has told these firms that the government is independently collecting data and non-co-operation could have severe consequences.

“From March, after cross-checking the results, we will begin prosecuting individuals/companies that have not submitted the requisite information or have suppressed the number of such equipment,” the official added.

The issue of phone-tapping has become contentious after media reports last year that phones of several people, including top politicians, have been tapped. The government has emphatically denied having authorised tapping of phones of any politician.

But government sources say they cannot rule out the possibility of anyone having resorted to illegal phone tapping . The home ministry probe is a step in the direction of curbing illegal tapping.

What has heightened government concern is the easy availability of the requisite technology to carry out interception.