‘Diktat calling for storage of user data may face backlash’

‘Diktat calling for storage of user data may face backlash’

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: IT

Context – ‘The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) new policy guidelines to virtual private network (VPN) service providers’.

Concept: VPN is used to hide location as well as encrypt information being transferred between the senders to receiver. This could be the data of an enterprise sent over cloud network and storage, or two individuals exchanging files.

Current guidelines:

• MeitY new directions to virtual private network (VPN) service providers to store data of Indian users for up to five years, may move to oppose the policy.
• The policy suggests that details, including user name, e-mail address, phone numbers, and IP addresses, among other data, need to be stored for at least five years.
• Data centre companies and cryptocurrency exchanges, too, need to collect and store user data by
• The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERTIn), which works under MeitY.
• Additionally, VPN companies will have to regularly report the cases around the 20 cyber security vulnerabilities listed by CERT-In in its previous directions.

What is a VPN?

• A virtual private network, or VPN, is an encrypted connection over the Internet from a device to a network.
• The encrypted connection helps ensure that sensitive data is safely transmitted. It prevents unauthorized people from eavesdropping on the traffic and allows the user to conduct work remotely.
• VPN technology is widely used in corporate environments.
• As it is totally disconnected from the rest of the web, it is a secure system. The network can be used safely by the government, companies, and military to utilise system resources.

How does a virtual private network (VPN) work?

• A VPN extends a corporate network through encrypted connections made over the Internet. Because the traffic is encrypted between the device and the network, traffic remains private as it travels.
• An employee can work outside the office and still securely connect to the corporate network. Even smartphones and tablets can connect through a VPN.

Is VPN traffic encrypted?

• Yes, traffic on the virtual network is sent securely by establishing an encrypted connection across the Internet known as a tunnel.
• VPN traffic from a device such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone is encrypted as it travels through this tunnel. Offsite employees can then use the virtual network to access the corporate network.

Protocols of VPN

To build stable networks, there are many distinct VPN protocols are used. Some protocols of this kind are listed below

• IPsec (IP security)
• PPTP (Point to Point Tunneling Protocol)
• L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol)
• SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
• TLS (Transport Layer Security)