India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy) has decided to block Switzerland-based, end-to-end encrypted email service, ProtonMail, following a request from police in the country’s southernmost state, Tamil Nadu.
The request was made in connection with a hoax bomb threat email, sent to 13 private chools in the state’s capital, Chennai.
The decision was made during a meeting of the 69A blocking committee, according to the Hindustan Times, which cites Section 69A of the IT Act.
Proton Mail to be banned in India
Section 69A empowers officers to issue orders for content blocking in the interest of national security and public order.
The state’s police had been facing challenges in tracing the sender’s IP address in order to find the hoax bomb threat culprit.
A Proton spokesperson told the Hindustan Times: “We condemn a potential block as a misguided measure that only serves to harm ordinary people. Blocking access to Proton is an ineffective and inappropriate response to the reported threats.
"It will not prevent cybercriminals from sending threats with another email service and will not be effective if the perpetrators are located outside of India.”
The company also noted that it “cannot answer directly to foreign law enforcement authorities,” according to Swiss law, but that “Swiss authorities may assist foreign authorities with requests, provided they are valid under international assistance procedures and determined to be in compliance with Swiss law.”
The Tamil Nadu police had been unsuccessful in obtaining help from Interpol.
Moreover, the move follows a broader Indian government trend of targeting end-to-end encrypted services. The ban, if enforced, will mark another instance of India clashing with privacy-focused services. Earlier in 2022, Proton had to remove its VPN from the country over local laws mandating the disclosure of customer information.
TechRadar Pro has asked both Proton and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to share any further information.
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