A youth surfs the Internet at a cyber cafe. Picture by Biju Boro

June 6: Cyber cafes beware! One of the surfers could be a cop in civvies.

City police have drawn up a blueprint to stop visits to pornographic sites by surfers at cyber cafes. There has been a recent rise in complaints that these gateways to the Internet do not even distinguish between children and adults and do not try to discourage surfing of such sites.

“We have taken a strong view of the complaints. We will soon conduct raids on the cyber cafes which we identify as being indifferent to what their customers surf,” a police official said. “Our men will pose as customers. Based on the information gathered by the investigators we shall take action.”

He, however, also admitted that the number of personnel at the command of the police was rather limited and not all the cafes could be covered at one go. “But we are hopeful that examples can be set which will force others to fall in line.” He said the police would concentrate on cyber cafes located near schools and colleges.

Additional DGP (vigilance and anti-corruption) R.. Mathur said the CID had suggested to the state government to declare pornographic sites surfing at cyber cafes a crime. Mathur, who had undergone training on cyber crimes conducted by the CBI, said, “Cyber cafe owners frequently try to evade responsibility saying they cannot help if some customer surf pornographic sites in the confines of the cubicles.”

CID officials said despite formal requests, no cyber cafe owner has bothered to put up warning signs stating that viewing pornographic sites was not allowed.

City superintendent of police Hiren Nath said though the cyber crimes in the city were rare in comparison to some metros, the police have been aware of the new social menace — sex on the Internet. “The police are ready to crack down on Internet parlours on the basis of specific reports that the cafe is allowing its customers irrespective of age to visit pornographic sites.”

There are 104 registered cyber cafes in the city. Of these, 14 are providing i-way broadband service. “There are reports that some cafes have small secluded cabins or covered cubicles to provide privacy to surfers who enjoy, what we call, sex on the Net. Most of these surfers who spend long hours are in the age group of 16 to 26.” Nath said.

Sources, however, said there were some practical difficulties in launching a crackdown on the cyber cafes. Many of the police personnel are not trained to detect cyber crimes. “Cafe owners are shrewd. They know the intricacies of the cyber world and can easily hoodwink the police,” an official said.

A section of the CID and special branch officials as well as 34 ASPs and DSPs attended a training programme conducted by the CBI last year.

When asked, the owner of a leading Internet parlour said it was unfair to put the blame on the cafes if someone chose to surf the net for pornographic sites. “You cannot hide anything from the Internet. But we do take precautions. Several sites are blocked.” “But, yes, there are some owners who shut their eyes to what their customers view,” he admitted.

The police have so far registered three cases relating to theft of Internet hours and sending of obscene e-mails.

The CID has a special cyber cell manned by a 10-member team. For the record, the first cyber crime police station was opened on August 30, 2000 in Bangalore, regarded as India’s Silicon Valley.