Group items tagged

The government will soon issue guidelines to address security concerns over 3G video calls. "3G issue is almost resolved. Soon you will have new guidelines," communications and IT minister Kapil Sibal said. Yesterday, home minister P Chidambaram had said that telecom service providers neeed to work out the modalities to provide interception facilities to the security agencies, and only after that can the 3G mobile services be rolled out. The department of telecommunications (DoT) had asked Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications to stop commercial launch of 3G mobile services, including video calling facility. The law enforcement agencies were not able to intercept the video calls on a real time basis. The contents of video calls were displayed only after five minutes. The operators had offered to provide an interception solution in the next six months.

The Union government on Thursday permitted carriage of video calls on 3G mobile networks subject to an undertaking by the operators that they would provide interception capability by July 31. The Tatas and the RCom have already launched the 3G service across various circles, while others, including Bharti and Vodafone, are likely to start the service soon. Those offering the service were asked to stop the service as security agencies were not able to intercept the video calls on real-time basis.

MUMBAI: A local metropolitan magistrate's court on Tuesday restrained the media from either publishing or telecasting images related to the CCTV footage of the July 13 triple blasts. Magistrate N J Shende in his order observed, "If identity of the witnesses is disclosed to the public at large, it may hamper the smooth investigation of the case and may cause threat to such persons." "I am of the opinion, in view of the provisions enumerated under Section 44 (of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act), in order to safeguard the life of the people and witnesses, the application is allowed," said Shende.

"But an interaction on Friday between the city's top cops and citizens of Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Basavanagudi, Subramanyapura, Chamarajpet, Banashankari, Girinagar, KS Layout and adjoining areas in South Division police jurisdiction saw police commissioner, BG Jyothi Prakash Mirji, appealing to the residents to appoint watchmen and set up CCTVs to increase vigil on the streets - which is otherwise a policeman's role. And all this, through expenses borne by the residents who anyway pay taxes expecting those very policing services for their protection in return. "If people do this, and join hands with the police to decrease crime, then we can achieve it," Mirji said."