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Indian Government to block ProtonMail after bomb threats were sent using a ProtonMail account

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/11998237

The IT ministry has reportedly decided to issue an order blocking end-to-end encrypted email service ProtonMail. According to a report in Hindustan Times, the government is planning to block the email service at the request of the Tamil Nadu police over a hoax bomb threat sent to at least thirteen private schools in Chennai on February 8. The report says that the decision to block ProtonMail was taken at a meeting of the 69A blocking committee on Wednesday (February 14).

A Proton spokesperson told the publication that the company has received the request from MeitY “a few days ago”. “We are currently working to resolve this situation and are investigating how we can best work together with the Indian authorities to do so. We understand the urgency of the situation and are completely clear that our services are not to be used for illegal purposes. We routinely remove users who are found to be doing so and are willing to cooperate wherever possible within international cooperation agreements,” the spokesperson said.

CrayonRosary ,

If you don't receive the email containing the bomb threat because you banned the email domain, does the bomb really exist?

No! The bomb just goes away. Checkmate, terrorists.

june ,

Has real ‘stop testing for covid to reduce case count’ energy.

EpicVision ,

Guys! I know how to get Gmail blocked in India!

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Btw Internet Freedom Foundation (or the IFF) filed several RTI requests (RTI = Request to information) regarding this situation. If anyone wants to follow their progress then here's their Mastodon account: https://mastodon.world/@internetfreedom@mas.to

The IFF is a highly trustworthy and well respected organization that fights for Indians digital rights and democratic freedoms. They've done a lot of good work over the years, they even helped VLC to get unblocked when it was banned in India.

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Here's their toot mentioning the situation with Proton Mail: https://mastodon.world/@internetfreedom@mas.to/111935324571240375

UraniumBlazer ,

Oh didn't know about IFF. Thanks for dropping the link! :)

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

You're welcome!

internetfreedom ,
@internetfreedom@mas.to avatar
Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Hey there! Thank you so much for all the work you guys do, it's great to have an organization you can actually rely on to bring some amount of change <3

UraniumBlazer ,

WOAH HI!!! YOU'RE AMAZING!!! <3

Gazumi ,

So..... If someone did it the old fashioned way by telephone from a public phone, or sent out a letter, or shared leaflets, would we be looking at disconnecting public phones, stopping the postal service and banning home printers?

GreatAlbatross ,
@GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk avatar

Don't give them ideas!

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

By applying Indian government logic, yes! this just in, Microwaves have been banned after a bomb was sent inside a microwave....

model_tar_gz ,

Wonder if they’d block Gmail, too.

THE_MASTERMIND , (edited )

Lol for what they are open as they get

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Seeing how google will hand all user data when asked to, yeah that's not gonna happen unfortunately

fne8w2ah ,

After WhatsApp and Telegram duh.

sag ,
@sag@lemm.ee avatar

So I can't use Proton Mail anymore?

THE_MASTERMIND ,

If this go through no . But yiu can use by using it in tor

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

If it gets blocked then no but you can continue using it either through a VPN, a proxy server or through Tor. You could also use a different DNS to unblock the website for yourself (Incase it gets blocked)

EpicVision ,

You can easily circumvent this block with a VPN. Proton actually offers a free tier of their VPN service that is specifically designed for users that experience censorship: https://protonvpn.com/vpn/censorship

Proton Mail also has a Tor website: https://protonmailrmez3lotccipshtkleegetolb73fuirgj7r4o4vfu7ozyd.onion/

sag ,
@sag@lemm.ee avatar

Thanks

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

You're welcome

clot27 ,
@clot27@lemm.ee avatar

I swear these dumb bureaucrats and politicians would've banned torrent, tor, etc. too if it was possible.

THE_MASTERMIND ,

India has aldready banned vpn's on many carriers

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Torrenting sites are banned/blocked on many ISPs and on Jio VPNs are blocked too so you're not that far off

UraniumBlazer ,

Pathetic authoritarian fucks ugggh... Please remember... India is NOT a democratic counterbalance to China. They're just like China. The only difference is that they both hate each other.

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Mother of Democracy they said....

UraniumBlazer ,

Never heard "Mother of Democracy", but I've heard a lot of "the world's largest democracy". Yea, bs either ways.

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

bs for sure

nfsu2 ,
@nfsu2@feddit.cl avatar

Wait till they ban talking for threatening verbally

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Wait till they ban staring cause it's intimidating!

Halosheep ,

Strange they're willing to block a service for 'allowing' this but somehow can't be bothered to figure out their giant scam industry.

Darkassassin07 ,
@Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca avatar

Scams in India primarily target foreign nations while bringing cash into the country that then gets spent in the local economy.

As long as they're not targeting others within india, the authorities have little incentive to stop them.

That's before you get to the corruption poisoning the investigations/prosecutions that do happen.

jamyang ,

They target Indians too. I live there, I received those calls too. Since I am not stupid, I just waste their time describing their mothers and some other things.

ApathyTree ,
@ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I like to tell them “your mother must be so ashamed to have you in the family; so worthless as a breadwinner that you have to resort to theft”.

That always riles them right up.

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

They will target anyone they can get sadly, Indians are not exempted from this and are often times, the primary targets

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Actions have been taken against the scam industry, the offices have been raided by police officers several times but once again the collective action is too little and too late

scytale ,

When the people who know nothing about technology make the decisions about technology.

cmnybo ,

Maybe they should shut down phone service when someone calls in a bomb threat and shut down the postal service when someone mails one in too.

far_university1990 ,

Shut down truck company because someone drove a truck into a mass of people.

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Wish our government officials had a basic understanding of tech so they could see this and go "the fuck are we doing?"

philo ,
@philo@discuss.online avatar

Isn't that a bit overkill.

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

It really is but who knows what goes on the minds of out government's officials lol

demesisx ,
@demesisx@infosec.pub avatar

What goes on the minds of government officials:
“Oooh! I can use this as an excuse to take away the rights of our people under the guise of security!”

agent_flounder ,
@agent_flounder@lemmy.world avatar

This person gets it. ☝🏻

Stewbs OP ,
@Stewbs@lemmy.world avatar

Yep, that's sadly true

kakes ,

I imagine this is something they wanted to do beforehand, and this event gave them "just" cause to pull the trigger.

LordBelphegor ,

The current political party in power wants to turn India into a fascist surveillance state.

EpicVision ,

a bit? It's not just a bit overkill, this is absolutely brain dead.

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