Govt gives license to snoop! MHA issues order authorising 10 agencies unfettered access to your digital trail | Photo Credit: Times Now

New Delhi: An issue that is likely to dwarf the Aadhaar debate, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an order authorising ten central agencies to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer. In other words, this could be a license for the government to snoop, say experts.

As per the order, the subscriber or service provider will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies and failing to do will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine.

MHA: Competent authority hereby authorizes the following security and intelligence agencies (in attached statement) for purposes of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said act pic.twitter.com/3oH9e7vv6T — ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2018

The Opposition attacked the government order, dubbing the order an attempt by the government to snoop on the citizens.

"Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a govt wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement," said Sitaram Yechury in a statement on Twitter.

The government its defence said the authorisation has been given under the IT Act 69(1), 2000 and described the move as a "step taken in defence of India". The move is aimed towards 'security of the state', the government said in its defence.

Reacting to the development, former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said he didn't study the matter "but if anybody is going to monitor computers then it is an Orwellian state (a condition that George Orwell identified as destructive for a free society)".