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.
When the people who know nothing about technology make the decisions about technology.
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.
Shut down truck company because someone drove a truck into a mass of people.
Wish our government officials had a basic understanding of tech so they could see this and go “the fuck are we doing?”