Srinagar- The District Magistrate Srinagar has ordered the immediate suspension of all Virtual Private Network (VPN) services within the territorial limits of District Srinagar for a period of two months, exercising powers under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
According to the order, the decision follows a report submitted by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar, who expressed apprehensions over the potential misuse of VPN services by vested interests, which could pose serious threats to public order and cyber security in the district.
The order elaborates that VPN services function by transmitting encrypted data and creating point-to-point tunnels, enabling users to conceal their IP addresses and bypass website restrictions and firewalls. Such capabilities, the administration observed, carry a significant risk of being exploited for unlawful and anti-national activities.
It further notes that VPNs could be misused for incitement of unrest, dissemination of inflammatory or provocative material, and coordination of activities prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order. The District Magistrate has observed that unrestricted use of VPN services poses serious risks to public safety, cyber security, and the protection of sensitive data, necessitating immediate preventive action in the larger public interest.
However, the order makes it clear that the suspension will not apply to authorised VPN usage by government departments operating through the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
As serving individual notices to all concerned persons was found to be impractical, the order has been issued ex parte. The administration has directed that the order be given wide publicity through the district website, leading newspapers, and by affixing copies on the notice boards of the offices of the District Magistrate, Senior Superintendent of Police Srinagar, Sub-Divisional Magistrates of Srinagar East and West, and all tehsildars.
The Senior Superintendent of Police Srinagar has been instructed to ensure strict implementation of the order in letter and spirit.
