Govt has no power to break encryption: Vaishnaw

The new Telecom Act does not, in any manner give either the government or the service providers, the power to break encryption of messages exchanged via over-the-top platforms or intercept them, communications and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Fe in a wide-ranging interview.

While highlighting how the Act will usher in an era of structural reforms, Vaishnaw dismissed criticism by some analysts that the definition of telecom service has been left vague, which gives the government the power to regulate OTTs at any future date by way of interception and break encryption. “The telecom service providers do not know what’s entering and exiting the pipe, then how can the government get to know?