The issue of banning the VPNs raises some fundamental questions!
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Virtual Private Networks (VPN) - To ban or not to ban
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- Using the internet: A virtual private network (VPN) obscures your identity on the Internet. Normally, any device connecting to the Internet is assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address, allowing law enforcement agencies to identify the device and its location (thereby identifying the user). VPN services establish secure connections between a user and a server or service by routing the data through a remote server, or servers, and hence disguise the user’s identity. If these servers are placed in other countries, it can allow users to bypass blocking rules enforced by the government.
- The first VPN: The first VPN, or virtual private network, technology was developed in 1996 by Microsoft (MS) employees, including India-born Gurdeep Singh Pall. He also co-authored the first VPN protocol. VPNs were used by large firms to enable secure communication. A VPN gives access to sensitive data to the person or entity it is intended for without the risk of it being seen or tampered with by other users on the network. So, it's a secure, small network, hidden from others.
- Essentials of a VPN: First, one downloads a VPN software, selects a server that will be based in another location (US, UK, Germany etc.), and starts browsing. So an Indian can access Netflix UK’s content library, if he connects to the UK servers. For businesses, VPNs are useful because they encrypt the data being sent, hiding it from other users on the network, and decrypting it at the end of the intended user. Two users separated across continents will feel they are in the same city, using the same network!
- Pandemic provision: A provision of the liberalised OSP (Other Service Providers) guidelines of 2020, which enabled most technology services and business process management companies to work from home during the pandemic, was to allow the use of private VPNs. This gave finance clients a lot of comfort.
- Parliament chips in: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, that was examining the issue of atrocities against women and children, submitted a 90-page report to the Rajya Sabha on August 10, 2021, with suggestions on how to deal with the problem. One of the suggestions was to permanently block Virtual Private Network (VPN) services in India. Why did they recommend it? The Committee recommended the ban, citing the “technological challenge" posed by VPNs. It said the "Dark Web" and VPNs can bypass “cybersecurity walls" and “allow criminals to remain anonymous online".
- Good and Bad:
- The good - As the internet and its applications grew in recent years, so did data theft and encryption. There are several third-party VPN provider websites from which the VPN software can be downloaded. VPNs can be used to hide a user's browser history, Internet Protocol (IP) address and geographical location, as well as web activity and devices being used. This is of immense use to people like whistleblowers, journalists, or others who are a vulnerable group. Generally, a VPN is used by businesses to ensure data is secure and inaccessible to unauthorised users.
- The bad - In spite of their many legitimate and safe uses, VPNs are also used by bad actors, possibly terrorists or criminals, to hide their location and activity. The key reason VPNs have been in the news lately is the recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee that these should be banned since they are used by criminals or miscreants to "bypass cyber security walls and allow criminals to remain anonymous online".
- Banning VPNs: This is neither a law nor a proposed legislation as yet, but just a suggestion made by a panel that was looking into the actions taken by the government in response to a March '21 report on atrocities against women and children. The misuse of VPNs is a valid concern, but industry and the government use the technology extensively for secure communications. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) itself submitted to the Standing Committee that there are enough safeguards in the existing IT law to tackle misuse of VPNs.
- VPNs and Dark Web: These two are different and VPNs are usually used to access blocked websites on the open Internet. The Dark Web, on the other hand, is not part of the Internet that we access on a regular basis. Accessing the Dark Web requires something like TOR (The Onion Router) which is an anonymity network that has websites running on its own network. TOR sites use .onion extensions.
- Problem with VPNs: In addition to slowing down your internet speed, a common “side effect” is that it cannot hide all browsing history. Clearing all cookies in the web browser is still needed. If one uses a location-based service like Maps, it will have access to the actual location because of the Global Positioning System, or GPS. Some applications have technology to recognise that a user has installed a VPN, and will not allow you access to their content or usage. In a work-from-home or hybrid work scenario, would banning VPNs make the virtual lives less secure? Yes indeed.
- EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the working of a Virtual Private Network (VPN). What are its pros and cons? (2) What are the concerns of the government related to use of VPNs in India? Explain in brief. (3) "If we are to ban VPNs, we might as well ban kitchen-knives too". Explain analytically.
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