Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri on Saturday ordered an immediate two month suspension of all Virtual Private Network services in the border district, citing public safety concerns and the potential misuse of such platforms for unlawful activities.
District Magistrate, Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma issued the directive under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, following a communication from the police, an official said.
Rajouri Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Sikarwar, in his letter, flagged unprecedented and suspicious use of VPN services across various areas of the district.
Sharma’s order notes that VPNs, by masking IP addresses, bypassing website blocks and firewalls, and transmitting encrypted data, are being used by a significant number of suspicious internet users, the official said.
“Such activities have the potential to be exploited for anti national purposes including spreading inflammatory content, coordinating activities prejudicial to public order, and posing cyber security threats,” the district magistrate said.
In the interest of maintaining law and order, Sharma deemed it necessary to take preventive steps to safeguard sensitive information and ensure public safety.
The Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, has been directed to ensure strict implementation of the order in letter and spirit, the official added.