- Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir issued a 2-month VPN ban
- Police have already recognized 800 customers accessing unauthorized VPNs
- Digital rights consultants deem the order “legally impermissible”
Residents of the Indian-administered area of Jammu and Kashmir can now be prosecuted for utilizing VPN apps.
Authorities invoked Part 163 of India’s felony process code on December 29 to successfully impose a two-month blanket ban on unauthorized VPN use.
Based on stories, police have already penalized round 800 customers, stopping residents to go looking their telephones for the now-illegal functions.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration justified the ban as essential to halt malicious actions linked to the software program and has restricted use to government-approved companies solely.
Whereas authorities stay hostile towards the expertise, VPNs have turn out to be a significant software for residents trying to overcome web censorship and safe their communications.
Chatting with Techradar, Raman Jit Singh Chima, Senior Worldwide Counsel and Asia Pacific Coverage Director at Entry Now, mentioned: “Legislation enforcement is making an attempt to push on a regular basis individuals from not utilizing VPNs, and that is alarming.”
“Legally impermissible”
Critical considerations have additionally been raised relating to the legality of the restrictions.
“It is legally impermissible,” Chima mentioned. “Blocking VPNs as a complete expertise is just not one thing that ought to be inside the purview of these felony emergency powers they’re utilizing.”
This isn’t the primary time authorities within the area have resorted to such measures. Chima famous that police pressured residents over VPN use through the web shutdown that started in August 2019 and which lasted over 550 days.
The broader nation isn’t any stranger to stress in opposition to VPNs, both. Many firms together with NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark, eliminated their bodily servers from India in 2022. This adopted an information retention legislation that required them to log in depth person information for authorities.
The present ban is ready for 2 months, although this can be a formality. “The explanation why the orders have a time restrict is that, usually, beneath the legislation, you can not subject blanket steady prohibitory orders,” Chima defined, warning that extensions stay a risk.
What’s subsequent?
Given the present authorized threats, Chima declined to supply sensible recommendation on accessing the software program.
Nonetheless, for these prepared to take the chance, VPN suppliers usually advocate switching to obfuscated protocols. These are designed to bypass blocks by masking VPN site visitors as customary net exercise.
In Jammu and Kashmir, police have been conducting random stops and house-to-house checks inspecting cellphones to implement a neighborhood ban on VPNs.A reminder that Proton VPN’s cell app has a “Discreet icon” setting to assist disguise it. This is how: https://t.co/47L3CV7Ued pic.twitter.com/WPZtKTRuJ7January 8, 2026
It stays to be seen if authorities can legally maintain the ban for for much longer. That’s the reason Chima urges each people and the broader tech trade to problem the order in courtroom.
“I suppose it is essential for them to push again to say ‘how is that this authorized and acceptable?’ even simply from a procedural perspective,” he instructed TechRadar.
“It is a blanket ban on a complete kind of expertise. And that is deeply problematic and disturbing, and never one thing that the federal authorities ought to be OK with.”
We take a look at and evaluation VPN companies within the context of authorized leisure makes use of. For instance: 1. Accessing a service from one other nation (topic to the phrases and circumstances of that service). 2. Defending your on-line safety and strengthening your on-line privateness when overseas. We don’t help or condone utilizing a VPN service to interrupt the legislation or conduct unlawful actions. Consuming pirated content material that’s paid-for is neither endorsed nor permitted by Future Publishing.
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