DNA Explainer: What are VPN services, that could soon get banned in India

What is the controversy surrounding VPN services that stand for Virtual Private Network? For a long VPN has been a rather common tool used by millions of users across the world. VPNs are seen as effective tools to safely communicate and transfer files on the internet. VPN services are used by most companies in India to secure their networks and digital assets from hackers. 

But while VPNs remain effective enterprise tools to enable remote collaboration on sensitive files, the public use of VPNs has often come across controversial scrutiny. In the latest, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs wants the Indian government to ban VPN services in the country as per a report by MediaNama.

The committee has reportedly stated that Virtual Private Network (VPN) services are a threat to counter cyber threats and other nefarious activities. As per the committee, VPN apps and tools are easily available online and these allow criminals to remain anonymous online.

The report by MediaNama suggests that the committee recommended permanently blocking of VPN services in the country with the help of internet service providers across India. The report also said that the committee wants the Ministry to take initiatives to strengthen the tracking and surveillance mechanisms.

But before we try to understand why the Parliamentary Standing Committee wants such a harsh stand against Virtual Private Network (VPN), let's delve into what are the advantages of the VPN services.

What are the advantages of VPN service?

VPNs are very useful and dependable tools, with 30% of all internet users employing a VPN at least once a month, Forbes reported.

VPN services are used by most companies in India to secure their networks and digital assets from hackers.

VPN tools became all the more important during lockdown when employees are doing work from home using their unsecured home internet connection.

VPN services allow internet users to access content that is blocked in the country and also stays 'anonymous' to a certain degree online.

VPN tools mask your traffic to make it look like your IP address, or your location is based elsewhere. 

Amid the increasing cyber crimes, the biggest advantage provided by a VPN service is keeping you secure as you browse online.

Most VPNs offer industry-standard 256-bit AES encryption to secure you from anyone tracking your online activity.

This can be absolutely critical in helping you protect your data, especially during financial transactions so that sensitive elements are not stolen.

Using a VPN can let you access region-specific websites that may be legal, but not accessible in your country.

Why the demand for banning VPN services

The Parliamentary Standing Committee proposed to put a check on the use of VPN and the dark web.

It is often misconstrued that using a VPN tool is directly related to illegal activities.

VPN can easily be downloaded, as many websites are providing such facilities and advertising them.

VPN services and Dark Web can bypass cyber security walls and allow criminals to remain anonymous online. 

A large number of free or cheap VPNs may be doing the exact opposite of what we expect from them, collecting and exposing our data rather than hiding it. 

Even when we're using a highly reputable and well-developed VPN, we're still not entirely safe from intrusions into our virtual privacy.