Traceability and Cybersecurity: a report on Experts’ Workshop Series on Encryption in India
Traceability, or the ability track down the originator of a particular piece of content or message, is at the center of India’s debate around rules for online platforms and communications providers.
In late 2018, the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTy), proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules under the Information Technology Act. Among the proposed changes is a demand for traceability, which would “enable tracing out of such originator of information on its platform.” The amendment would make the online platform or provider liable for content posted by their users, if traceability is not provided. Early this year, nearly 30 cybersecurity and cryptographic experts from different parts of the world sent an open letter to MeiTy expressing concerns about the proposed amendments.