Govt considering internet monitoring through centralised system

The government is considering monitoring internet traffic through a centralized system which is operational across the country, Parliament was informed Thursday. "The government has set up a Centralised Monitoring System (CMS) for lawful interception and monitoring of mobile phones, landlines and internet traffic through a mobile network.

"At present, monitoring of internet traffic through internet service providers is being done through Internet Monitoring System which is under consideration for integration with CMS," Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. The hub of CMS is located in Delhi and 21 regional monitoring centers are operational across all the 22 telecom circles in the country.

The CMS facilitates automated processing of lawful interception order from law enforcement agencies to telecom operators. It allows electronic provisioning of the targets without manual intervention of telecom operators.