Telecom security policy draft has no reference to radiation safety

Earlier draft had noted guidelines for cellular operators and telecom infrastructurecompanies with regards to radiation and controlled energy consumption

The National Telecom Security Policy’s portion mentioning the rules regarding public health and safety has been deleted in a revised draft.

The earlier draft contained detailed guidelines for cellular operators and telecom infrastructure companies about radiation and controlled energy consumption.

Various agencies and activists have warned against the health hazards of radiation from cellular towers and base stations. However, according to telecom companies, there is very little or no danger from radiation. The government had, in September 2012, reduced the permissible radiation limits of towers to 0.45 watts per sq metre for cellular operators. There are more than 800 million mobile users in India with a billion handsets, connected through about 375,000 towers.  Health activists and residents’ organisations have repeatedly opposed the establishment of telecom towers on rooftops and in densely-populated areas, saying radiation from such installations causes serious health risks such as cancer.

The draft of theTelecom Security Policy also noted that cellular operators will mandatorilyhave to allow Law enforcing agencies to intercept calls, messages, and anyother communications and the access to monitor it real time, while keeping thecommunications secured.Recently,British telco Vodafone, in its first Law Enforcement Disclosure Report, notedabout Indian Government seeking access for interception, among 28 othernations.

Communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, earlier this week,has said the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) was looking into thematter.

The reviseddraft Policy also states that telecom service providers should endure that userdata is not revealed or duplicated or copied or shared with recipients otherthan those designated by the sender, and should ensure that user data is notbeing routed outside the infrastructure within Indiawhen the end points of communication are inside Indian territory.

Telcos willrequire ensuring authentication of end user, authorised access to services andattribution of activities and payloads to end users.

The attribution in theform audit, forensic and tracking mechanisms should ensure tracking ofinappropriate use, criminal activities and enforcement of IT and cyber securitylaws of the Government. Earlier, theGovernment had differences with Blackberry over the encrypted message and emailservices the firm provides to customers.

Fearing thatsuch encrypted services can be used to plan and execute terrorist strikes, India had alsothreatened to ban the providers of such services if they failed to accommodatethe legitimate demands of law enforcement agencies.