Surveillance

SC directs Centre to participate in meeting on lack of functional CCTVs

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre and others to participate in a meeting for the creation of a centralised dashboard and standardisation of CCTV infrastructure in police stations. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order after a submission by senior advocate Siddhartha Dave. Assisting the court as amicus curiae, Dave told the court that pursuant to an order dated January 29, a meeting was held on February 21, but the Union, the Delhi government and some other states did not participate it, and as such, he could not file the report as required. Taking note of the submission, the court ordered, "Counsel for the Union of India already apologised that due to some communication gap, it could not participate in the meeting. He, however, assures us that in the next meeting they will extend all cooperation." The bench added, "The amicus has suggested March 14, 2026, as the next date for a meeting. Let the meeting be held as directed earlier on Mar

Pakistan using phone tapping, firewall systems to spy on citizens: Amnesty

Calling it one of the 'most comprehensive examples of state surveillance outside China', Amnesty said that Pakistan's growing surveillance network was built with the help of Chinese and Western tech

Sebi, exchanges revise ESM applicability for firms below ₹1,000 cr mcap

New framework will be applicable from July 28, changes expected to benefit 28 companies

China's new digital ID plan links every click to the Communist Party

The scheme issues each person who registers a unique "internet code" and a digital certificate after submitting their national ID card and facial recognition data

DGCA detects recurring defects in aviation checks at major airports

Aviation watchdog DGCA on Tuesday said surveillance conducted at major airports revealed several defects in the aviation ecosystem, including multiple cases wherein the defects reappeared on aircraft and centre line marking faded on runway. The surveillance, which comes against the backdrop of the fatal Air India plane crash at Ahmedabad on June 12, covered critical areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, air traffic control, communication, navigation systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations. Without disclosing names of airlines or any other entities in the ecosystem, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in a statement said the findings have been communicated to those concerned for taking corrective actions within seven days. Two teams led by DGCA Joint Director General carried out comprehensive surveillance during night and early morning hours at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai. During the surveillance, domestic flight of a scheduled

These apps on your phone are 'spying' on you: How to protect your data

Apps are harvesting data on you constantly-sometimes beyond what they need. Here's why it matters, how it's used, and what you can do to regain some control

PierSight gains strategic investors to grow satellite maritime surveillance

Backed by Sustainable Ocean Alliance and CE-Ventures, PierSight aims to scale its SAR satellite constellation, boost ocean intelligence, and grow its engineering team

Israeli spyware firm NSO to pay WhatsApp $168 mn in damages, rules court

A US court has ordered NSO to pay Meta $168 million for exploiting a WhatsApp bug used to surveil journalists, dissidents and political targets

Electronic surveillance system being deployed to safeguard borders: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the government is deploying an electronic surveillance system to safeguard the country's borders and that technology will be used to detect and dismantle underground cross-border tunnels to thwart infiltration by terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing BSF personnel during a visit to Border Outpost Vinay' near the International Border in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district, Shah said more than 26 technology-related initiatives are currently being tested which also include anti-drone technology. The minister, who interacted with BSF personnel, lauded the contribution of the force and praised the troops for performing their duties in challenging circumstances. He asserted that the central government is fully committed to the welfare of security forces and their families. Jammu and Kashmir'Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director of the Intelligence Bureau and ...

Election rules tweaked to restrict public inspection of electronic records

The government has tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse. Based on the recommendation of the Election Commission (EC), the Union law ministry has amended Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of "papers" or documents open to public inspection. According to Rule 93, all "papers" related to elections shall be open to public inspection. The amendment inserts "as specified in these rules" after "papers". Law ministry and EC officials separately explained that a court case was the "trigger" behind the amendment. While documents such as nomination forms, appointment of election agents, results and election account statements are mentioned in the Conduct of Election Rules, electronic documents such as CCTV camera footage, webcasting footage and video recording of candidates during the Model Code of Cond

Canada deploys aerial task force to boost border security to appease Trump

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will operate the task force, made up of helicopters, drones and mobile surveillance towers

PierSight's Varuna satellite set for 24/7 all-weather maritime surveillance

The company has developed Varuna, a maritime surveillance satellite that will aboard the Isro's PSLV launcher as a secondary payload aboard the POEM platform, to help perform in-orbit experiments

Australian HC overturns law that forced migrants to wear tracking bracelets

Australia's highest court ruled Wednesday that migrants can't be forced by law to wear electronic tracking bracelets or to comply with curfews. The ruling is a blow to the government, whose lawyers have unsuccessfully argued that laws imposing curfews and tracking technology are justified to protect the community. Five of the seven High Court judges ruled that the tough restrictions placed on more than 100 migrants, usually because of their criminal records, were unconstitutional because the conditions amounted to punishment. The constitution states that punishment must be imposed by judges, not lawmakers. The restrictions were part of emergency laws hastily passed in December in response to another High Court ruling that non-citizens could no longer be detained indefinitely as an alternative to deportation. That ruling in the case of a stateless Rohingya man reversed a 28-year-old High Court precedent that allowed indefinite detention where there were security concerns. Wednesday'

This Pakistani journalist finds his car bugged, mocks spy agency's old tech

Pakistani journalist Azaz Syed revealed that when he went to a mechanic for car repairs, he discovered a bugging device of outdated technology from the 1990s

DGCA removes 'enhanced surveillance' of SpiceJet after fund infusion

Random spot checks of low-cost carrier's operational aircraft will continue, says regulator

CIA makes it easier, safer for potential informants to share tips

The CIA wants to make it easier -- and safer -- for people in Iran, China and North Korea to share information with the US's premier spy agency. The agency on Wednesday posted online instructions in Korean, Mandarin and Farsi detailing steps that potential informants can take to contact US intelligence officials without putting themselves in danger. The instructions include ways to reach the CIA on its public website or on the darknet, a part of the Internet that can only be accessed using special tools designed to hide the user's identity. The CIA posted similar instructions in Russian two years ago following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "People are trying to reach out to us from around the world and we are offering them instructions for how to do that safely," the agency said in a statement. "Our efforts on this front have been successful in Russia, and we want to make sure individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we're open for business." The tips, presented in ...

Death of Pakistan's digital economy? Here's why its businessmen are afraid

The situation has become so dire that many businesses situated in Pakistan are considering relocating their operations to other countries

Broadcast Bill threatens independence of press, curbs free speech: Congress

Party leader Pawan Khera said the proposed Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill will pave the way for 'excessive surveillance' in online world

Army to get first Hermes-900 on May 18, to boost surveillance on Pak border

The Hermes-900 known as the Drishti-10 drone is being supplied to Indian forces including Indian Army and Navy by Adani Defence Systems

MeitY amends IT rules: Surveillance data to be deleted within 6 months

Previously, the power to delete surveillance records rested solely with the security agency responsible for the surveillance