The maniacs who mauled Mumbai on November 26 were armed with more than just Kalashnikovs and grenades. They had satellite phones, Blackberry phones, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Google Earth maps. Mumbai 26/11 was not the first time terrorists used technology to kill. It will not be the last. But yet, every time there is evidence of technology aiding terror, hawks inside the government and outside it seek to wage a war on personal technology tools that have made our lives easier.

Last Tuesday, a Mumbai-based lawyer filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court demanding that Google remove images and maps of Indian cities or at least of our vital installations from the Google Earth service.

In one more after-effect, New Delhi has found another excuse to mount an offensive on the Canadian proprietor of Blackberry, Research In Motion (RIM). Blackberry devices are encrypted so strongly that even government agencies find it difficult to intercept and crack them. Security hawks had threatened RIM with a ban early this year unless it gave the government access to its servers. RIM had then refused to oblige. Post-Mumbai, it faces twice the pressure to give in.

Half-knowing media pundits add to the shrill. Every time a group like the Indian Mujahideen sent emails to claim responsibility for a blast, TV news channels made Wi-Fi the root of all terror every half an hour. Cops cracked down on cyber-cafes giving the impression that those emails were more dangerous than the explosions.

A couple of years ago, there was a rumpus over satellite images of Rashtrapati Bhavan being available on the Internet. A newspaper hyped the security risk and the government forced Google to blur some images. If somebody wanted to attack the Rashtrapati Bhavan, he or she would find myriad ways to get maps. There are books available on its architecture and history with maps in fine detail. If you want a South Mumbai map with hotel legends, you can buy it anywhere in the world.

So can a terrorist. You need a modern police force and better intelligence infrastructure to stop that terrorist from coming on to your shore. Since the poor state of the police force exposes the performance of the political class, politicians look for softer targets like Blackberry. It creates a fig leaf to hide the decades of neglect that has rusted our security apparatus.

Blackberry's encryption helps corporations conduct business on the go without the fear of someone snooping on company secrets. Google Maps, now also available on mobile phones, helps us find our way in unknown cities. It also helps us to find the nearest ATMs, restaurants, chemists and other utility near any place we may be. With GPS-enabled phones, you also get your location and turn-by-turn directions to your destination.

We have also inherited Raj-era paranoia, together with our police and bureaucracy — both built by the gora sahibs. As a result, they still treat the common folk as not-to-be-trusted natives. Till date, you cannot take photographs of random bridges, railway stations, airports and even some bus stands. This, in an age when satellites can spot every single brick used in the structure which bears the legend, "Photography Prohibited". Possession of maps and photographs may lead you to detention if not jail. You may end up violating the Official Secrets Act. Ask Professor Iftikhar Gilani.

Technology is a two-edged sword. When mobile phones became very popular, the police feared that criminals would use them to their advantage. The mobile phone did make criminal enterprise quicker and deadlier. But the same phone gave it away.

Today, police track down criminals by tracking their phones. Controlling modern communication tools will only mean controlling freedom. Giving police smarter devices is a smart idea. Banning smart devices just because a terrorist may misuse them is stupid. Should we ban kitchen knives because one can be used for committing a murder?

The author has just shifted to Chandigarh and often uses GPS to find his way