♤ UK’s surveillance programme, aimed at tapping up as much online and telephone traffic as possible.

♤ There is no public acknowledgement or debate over this programme.

♤ It has a key ability to tap into and store huge volumes of data drawn from fibre-optic cables for up to 30 days so that it can be sifted and analysed.

75. CMS INDIA

♤ New proposed Centralized Monitoring System (CMS) has all-encompassing surveillance capabilities.

♤ Once implemented, the CMS will enhance the government’s surveillance and interception capabilities far beyond ‘meta-data,’ data mining, and the original expectation of “instant” and secure interception of phone conversations.

♤ CMS being set up by C-DoT - an obscure government enterprise located on the outskirts of New Delhi - will have the capability to monitor and deliver Intercept Relating Information (IRI) across 900 million mobile (GSM and CDMA) and fixed (PSTN) lines as well as 160 million Internet users, on a ‘real time’ basis through secure ethernet leased lines.

♤ The CMS will have unfettered access to the existing Lawful Interception Systems (LIS), currently installed in the network of every fixed and mobile operator, ISP, and International Long Distance service provider.