Reeling under a grim and uncertain situation after J&K’s special status ended on August 5, Internet users in Kashmir got some reason to cheer this week. Virtual private network (VPN) applications have allowed people to log on to social media sites on 2G mobile Internet services.
Users have posted selfies, made video calls to loved ones and poked fun at the Internet ban.
However, this has not gone down well with the security agencies. Sources said the J&K Home Department and the cellular companies have brought information technology (IT) experts from outside J&K to create a permanent firewall to stop VPNs from functioning and prevent access to social media.
A BSNL official said the Home Department has asked it to refrain from restoring fixed-line broadband services till all the social media sites are firewalled.
The department on January 25 issued an order to restore 2G services on cellphones after a five-month blackout but only “allowed access to the 301 white-listed sites and not to any social media applications allowing peer-to-peer communication and VPN applications”.
Bypassing the ban, scores of VPNs were either downloaded on high-speed Internet or brought from outside J&K.
“My friend who flew from Delhi on Tuesday got over a dozen VPNs,” said a netizen, seeking anonymity.
Reaching out
“It’s after 175 days, 21 hours and 20 minutes that I am posting a message. The VPN has helped me to reach out to you again,” read a message posted on Facebook.
Poking fun at the ban, another user posted on the micro-blogging site Twitter: “The basic necessities of life in Kashmir: food, shelter, clothing and VPNs.”
