This is basically part of a smear campaign against the government in power (NDA). The law was designed under the previous government and has been in existence before this government came to power. Nothing new was introduced since 2008.
As far as constitutional protections go, Indians have a right to privacy which has been held up in the courts as recently as this year. This has been affirmed several times in the recent past. So, no, India does not have weak protections for its citizens.
Finally, India is a place where mere WhatsApp forwards on the basis of rumors or made up stories cause people to go out and riot. Communal violence can be instigated using such means. So such laws are essential to track down the perpetrators.
NSA, CIA also silently spy on Americans without much oversight in the name of security. In fact it is done at a mass scale.
Nothing in my post was even close to "Denial" or that everyone else is doing it. I was pointing out that my western counterparts are barking up the wrong tree when their own government is guilty of mass surveillance on not just their own people but everyone on this planet while India has stronger protections that have been held up in court.
People in glass houses should not be pelting stones.
while i don't agree with OP about it being politically motivated around the current government.
Most of what he says is true. There is no new law, there are other draconian laws like POTA, TADA, Sedition Act and AFSPA in place which give the Government already enormous power which they don't hesitate to use. The current government and many past ones do certainly abuse such powers nothing new expect it is spilling over digital domain more than ever before.
If anything, the current government has restricted the use of this law to a handful of agencies. One bureaucrat I know of -- in the Postal Department -- had been abusing this for a few years.
As far as constitutional protections go, Indians have a right to privacy which has been held up in the courts as recently as this year. This has been affirmed several times in the recent past. So, no, India does not have weak protections for its citizens.
Finally, India is a place where mere WhatsApp forwards on the basis of rumors or made up stories cause people to go out and riot. Communal violence can be instigated using such means. So such laws are essential to track down the perpetrators.
NSA, CIA also silently spy on Americans without much oversight in the name of security. In fact it is done at a mass scale.