New Delhi: In a move that can potentially throw at risk the data-privacy of individuals, the government has authorised some of its security agencies to access and monitor data stored in any computer resources.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Home Affairs authorised ten central agencies including the Commissioner of Police of Delhi, to intercept the calls and data, and to monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource, which is likely to make snooping of private data easier.

The Home Ministry issued the order in a notification dated December 20, 2018. This means that the agencies which have been listed in the notification need no more pre-requisite approval from the ministry.

The notification read: “In the exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (I) of section 69 of the Information technology Act , 2000 (21 of 2000), read with the rule 4 of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information ) rules 2009, the competent authority hereby authorises following Security and Intelligence Agencies for the proposes of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said act.”

Among the ten institutions that have been granted access to any computer system, are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (RAW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only), and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi.

Non-cooperation in this regard can lead to a seven year jail term and fine.

AIMIM Chief and Telangana MP Asaduddin Owaisi has targeted the government over the notification and said that who would have thought that the true meaning of BJP’s slogan “Ghar Ghar Modi” (Modi in every house) was about snooping on people’s communications.

He took to Twitter and wrote: “Modi has used a simple Government Order to permit our national agencies to snoop on our communications. Who knew that this is what they meant when they said ‘ghar ghar Modi’”.

He further wrote: “George Orwell’s Big Brother is here and welcome to 1984”.