Following the ban of the Chinese telecom instruments in the country, t is now the turn of BlackBerry devices, Gmail and Skype services to come under the government security scanner.  The threat of facing a ban from offering their services in India looms over these companies, if they do not comply to ensure that the data that goes through their networks are made available to the security agencies in India. This ultimatum has been given to them by the Department of Telecom (DoT).

The most famous telecom service provides in India namely Reliance communications and  Tata of Teleservices are also under the radar due to the inability of  the government security agencies  to snoop into these networks.

An internal government note has stated “DoT will call the representatives of Research In Motion (manufacturer of Blackberry devices) and Skype and ask them to ensure that the content going through the telecom service providers is in readable format. They have to ensure that this is implemented within 15 days failing which services that do not allow lawful interception on a real-time basis would be blocked/banned”.

To ensure that the Gmail is present in a readable format, the representatives of Google will also be called. A spokesperson from Google has commented that so far they have not received any further communication on this matter from the government. He also stated “We will comment if and when we get any letter from the DoT”.

Decisions have also been taken by the government to modify the information technology laws in the country targeted at those foreign companies that does not require a local license, such that they provide the requisite data by the Indian law enforcement agencies. This law would essentially compel companies suck as Skype to either set up a local server in India, so that the Indian security agencies can track the content easily or provide complete access to the security agencies of their networks.

These recent developments took place during a recent meeting between the Intelligence bureau, the DoT, Ministry of home Affairs (MHA) and the National Technical Research organization which is a scientific setup under the National Security Advisor.

The main problem with these companies is that they offer data services to their uses which are secure and highly encrypted. Keeping a track of this highly encrypted data is proving to be a challenge to the Indian security agencies.
Two years back a similar concern was raised against BlackBerry devices but this issue took a backseat. However this time these concerns would have to address as the intelligence agencies are under tremendous pressure from the Ministry of Home Affairs for resolution of this issue and providing a secure communications network.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech to the members of the Planning Commission that Dell will shift its procurement of computer components from China to a ‘safer environment’ has created a controversy, with Dell spokesperson denying the discussion.

Minari Shah, a spokesperson for Dell said in an email statement, “There was no discussion concerning any change in how or from where Dell will source component parts for the computers it manufactures in Asia.”

Mr. Singh was supposed to have told the panel that Dell sources ‘equipment and parts worth $25 billion from China’ and that with the tightening of policies by Chinese government, Dell may move out of China. This, according to the aforesaid speech, presents enormous opportunities for India.

The Press Information Bureau website that releases PM’s speeches carried this speech, but now it has disappeared without trace. Dell spokesperson said that the speech was removed from the site after officials from Round Rock, a Texas company, got in touch with the PIB office.

Another Dell spokesperson David Frink said that Dell CEO Michael Dell had a discussion with Mr. Singh on ways to boost hardware manufacturing in India. Frink said, “With the right kind of progress, Mr. Dell said that he believes India also has an opportunity to become a hardware manufacturing hub, generating employment and adding to that country’s impressive growth.”

Dell issued a statement that it has no plans to quit its China operations. However, many MNCs including Google have adopted a ‘wait and watch’ policy in China, even as Chinese government is tightening its internet censoring.

Meanwhile, Harish Khare, media advisor to Mr. Singh, declined to comment on the controversy.

Though war of words between the two main players appeared to abate last week, it has raised its head again. The verbal dual is far from over.

Bill Gates has expressed his views on the ‘complex’ issue. As expected, he has taken a realistic approach on the subject. He said, “The role of the Internet in every country has been very positive, letting people speak out in new ways. And fortunately the Chinese efforts to censor the Internet have been very limited. You know, it is easy to go around it.”

He drew parallels with censorship laws of Germany, where pro-Nazi statements are banned, while it is allowed in the US. “And so you have got to decide do you want to obey the laws of the countries you are in or not. If not, you may not end up doing business there,” Gates said.

A point to ponder for India is how this will affect the country. While some argue that India will be the eventual beneficiary, the arguments are not convincing enough. It is true that India’s laws on intellectual property and corporate governance are much superior to that of China. This may help India garner more attention from the search giant.

One drawback is the huge chasm in the number of internet users of both countries. India can never replace China in terms of market size and revenue. However, India scores well in mobile internet market.

Google realizing the potential has launched an SMS-based Google search. Information regarding train and flight timings to horoscopes and local business listings are available through this service. Also on offer is a voice-based mobile search from Google.

Whether Google remains in China or not, consumer is the ultimate winner.

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