Twitter
Advertisement

Cybercafes give thumbs down to fingerprint plan

The proposed move of the police to make recording of fingerprints mandatory at internet kiosks has evoked sharp reactions from cybercafe operators.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin
The proposed move of the police to make recording of fingerprints mandatory at internet kiosks in the city to reduce cyber crime has evoked sharp reactions from cybercafe operators who argue that the police should first launch a crackdown on unauthorised centres.

The Mumbai police have chalked out a plan to make fingerprint scanners mandatory at internet cafes in an attempt to implement stricter measures at cybercafes to prevent cyber crimes by deterring any possible misuse of public computers. They have already started talks with cafe owners to implement the plan.

DNA had first reported on June 3, 2009, that the police were planning to make fingerprinting of customers mandatory in cybercafes to check cyber crimes.

“Making fingerprint system compulsory is not a good idea and may not be feasible...police should first close down 1,000 unauthorised cafes operating in the city to bring down cyber crimes,” Ashish Saboo, president of Association of Public ICT Tools Access Provider, Mumbai chapter, said. He also alleged that the police are forcing cybercafés to adhere to their guidelines. “Nowhere in the world do cybercafés have fingerprint scanners installed. Then why in Mumbai?” he asked.

Additional commissioner of police (crime) Deven Bharti said the police have raided unauthorised cafes whenever they have got complaints. “We continue to raid such cybercafes. Our idea behind the new plan is to keep a tab on internet users. This will help us nail the accused if a crime is committed.”

There are about 500 to 800 legal cybercafés in the city and about 1,000 unauthorised ones. “An increase in the number of cyber crimes in the city forced us to come up with the idea,” Bharti said.

All are not happy with the new plan of the police. “The police are driving away our business by making various norms tougher,” alleged Karam Shi, 47, who operates a Sify I-way at Churchgate in south Mumbai. Shi said if the customers are made to go through the fingerprinting system, they will feel that they are being treated like criminals.

“The existing mandatory norms are enough,” Shi said. “Customers show us their photo ID cards and their addresses are noted down. A log book is maintained at all the internet cafes. By asking us to implement stricter norms, the police are making our business more complicated. This will prevent entry of new operators,” Shi, who has been in the business for eight years, said.

According to Saboo, 8% of Mumbai’s population uses internet daily. Of them, about 45% users go to cybercafes everyday.

“Customers do not like to go through such formalities before entering the internet cafés. They feel humiliated. If it continues, the number of customers visiting the cybercafés will certainly come down in future,” Saboo said.

Of late, a large number of people have been falling prey to the online lottery scam, which lures victims by promising crores of rupees. Credit card frauds, sending vulgar contents, identity thefts and hacking are among the other fraudulent online practices.

The Mumbai police had earlier said that some cybercafe owners have responded positively to the fingerprinting plan. “If fingerprint machines along with webcams are at place in every cybercafe, cyber crimes will certainly come down, since fingerprints and moving pictures captured by the webcams can be used as evidence against the accused in court,” a crime branch official said.
Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement