Budgam: In the interest of public safety, law and order, and data security, the District Administration Budgam has ordered the suspension of all kinds of Virtual Private Network (VPN) services on mobile phones within District Budgam for a period of two months, with effect from the date of issuance of the order, unless withdrawn earlier.
The order has been issued by the District Magistrate, Budgam, Dr. Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat, under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, following inputs received from the Senior Superintendent of Police, Budgam regarding unprecedented and suspicious high usage of VPNs across various parts of the district.
The communication highlighted that such usage has the potential to be exploited for unlawful and anti-national activities, including incitement of unrest, dissemination of inflammatory material, and coordination of activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order. It was further observed that VPNs enable encrypted data transmission, mask IP addresses, bypass firewalls and website restrictions, and may expose sensitive information to potential cyber threats.
Considering the prevailing circumstances and the need to take immediate preventive measures to safeguard public security and sensitive data, the District Magistrate deemed it necessary to impose the said restriction.
As per the order, Senior Superintendent of Police, Budgam, has been directed to ensure strict implementation of the order in letter and spirit.
The District Administration has appealed to the public for cooperation in the interest of maintaining peace, public order, and data security in the district.