RAW seeks extra checks on ILD gateway operators

NEW DELHI: The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has asked the telecom department to seek the approval of national security agencies before granting provisional permission to install and operate gateways for international longdistance (ILD) services, a proposal that the department has called unnecessary. According to an internal note seen by ET, RAW has said agencies such as it and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) should be allowed to conduct thorough background checks of the companies that want to set up ILD gateways and their promoters, as well as study the ramifications of such projects on national security.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has opposed this proposal, saying there was no logic behind the need to conduct background checks on a company every time it sets up a gateway. At present, for getting the final approval, operators of ILD gateways need to demonstrate the capabilities that they have set up for intelligence agencies to lawfully monitor voice and data traffic and intercept what is necessary. DoT informs these agencies about the provisional approvals it grants. But, according to RAW, security agencies are not consulted for conducting background checks on the companies before they gain access to India’s telecom networks.