BackOpinion | Internet snap-off rules, please
The end of Kargil’s web blackout is especially ironic at this moment, given that as many as 21 districts in Uttar Pradesh were similarly left netless on Friday
PremiumA ray of hope shone at the end of a long dark tunnel when mobile internet services were restored in Kargil district of Ladakh, after a 145-day suspension. This region had been cut off from the rest of the world after 5 August, when India declared the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s internal autonomy and the state’s bifurcation into two Union territories.
The end of Kargil’s web blackout is especially ironic at this moment, given that as many as 21 districts in Uttar Pradesh were similarly left netless on Friday, with services snapped off in response to unrest stirred up by a new law on citizenship. In today’s networked world, one can hardly overstate the role of the internet. Besides acting as a catalyst for change, it also acts a great enabler for people to exercise their fundamental rights. Not to mention the economic value of the web.
Arbitrary shutoffs, many assert, amount to depriving people of a vital lifeline. In various circumstances, involving the need of medical data or help, this is literally true. Indian administrations cite the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety Rules) notification of 2017, by which communication can be cut off in a sensitive area for law and order. This provision has no sunset clause. Nor does it specify how long people can be denied services. In effect, it is left to the discretion of the government. It is about time Indians started asking for proper legislation on the matter, and a set of guidelines that make it clear under exactly what circumstances would an internet blackout be okay. The net is much too important to be switched off all so easily.
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