Manipur HC seeks options to block VPN servers to safely restore Internet
The Hindu
The Manipur High Court is now pressing to find ways to restore broadband Internet across the State (with a block on social media websites) even as the Manipur government has said this is difficult because Virtual Private Network (VPN) services can still be used to access blocked sites.
The Manipur High Court is now pressing to find ways to restore broadband Internet across the State (with a block on social media websites) even as the Manipur government has said this is difficult because Virtual Private Network (VPN) services can still be used to access blocked sites.
Continuing the hearing on a batch of public interest litigation (PILs) petitions seeking restoration of Internet services in the State, a Division Bench of Justices Ahanthem Bimol Singh and A. Guneshwar Sharma on Friday directed Internet service providers and both the Centre and the State government to explore the possibility of blocking VPN servers as well to sidestep this issue.
In response to a specific plea regarding restoration of Internet access, the Manipur government had said on June 16 that it is possible to restore broadband Internet with a block on social media sites. But it added that this would not prevent people from using VPN services to continue accessing restricted content.
The State has been under Internet shutdown since May 3 when clashes broke out between the dominant Meitei people and the Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zomi people.
In Friday’s hearing, the Internet service providers (ISPs) made the same submissions before the court. The court noted that the other option suggested by the ISPs was to whitelist certain devices and broadband connections and secure these devices so that limited access can be provided to the public at designated spots.
This alternative is what the State government is now pushing to consider even as the practicality of it has been questioned by rights experts.
However, the court, after hearing all submissions, deemed it fit to ask if the VPN servers themselves can be blocked and Internet access can be restored.
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