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• September 9th, 2012
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[Polity] National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID): Meaning, Use, Controversy

1. NATGRID
2. Concerns
3. Privacy and misuse
4. Wikileaks like situation

NATGRID

• 26/11 attacks on Mumbai led to the exposure of several weaknesses in India’s intelligence gathering and action networks. So, Chindu came up with the idea of National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)
• NATGRID will integrate 21 categories of data from agencies like

1. Banks,
2. Railways and airlines,
3. Income tax department,
4. Credit card companies etc.
5. Visa and immigration

• This combined data will be made available to 11 central agencies including the R&AW, the National Investigation Agency, the CBI, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the Intelligence Bureau, the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate to help them prevent terrorist attacks and criminal activities.
• NATGRID Will become fully operational in 2013-14

P. Raghu Raman is heading NATGRID

Concerns

Diagram: How NATGRID will Work (Click To Enlarge)

Privacy and misuse

Some people are concerned about the protection of individual privacy and misuse of information by law enforcement agencies. However, The Government has tried to calm down the fears by assuring that

1. NATGRID is only the technical interface for intelligence agencies and not an organization in itself. If the agency initiating the inquiry is not authorized to get that information, it cannot get it.
2. NATGRID has strong information protection technology and external audits
3. Security and intelligence agencies will not be able to use the NATGRID system to access information for any purpose other than that of countering terror.
4. NATGRID will not “store” any personal data, but only facilitate transfer.

Wikileaks like situation

US Soldier Bradly Mannings had provided sensitive documents to Julian Assange

• SIPRNET is a computer network connecting US Defense and State Departments (similar to our NATGRID)
• One Soldier Bradly Mannins, accessed the SIPRNET, copied all the US diplomatic documents and sent them to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
• Similar fiasco could happen with India’s NATGRID.

 

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8 comments to [Polity] National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID): Meaning, Use, Controversy

• AKM

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  diagram not enlarging.

• tanu

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  same as akm abuv

• AMIT SANKHLA

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  to enlarge…save image as save as…and then zoom it,,u`ll get what you want…
  AKM…TANU

• chenab khanna

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  mrunal u said data in natgrid is vulnerable then wht is govt’s action to prevent wikileaks like case????/

• gaurav singh

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  sir, chindu naam badiya h

• jude_lucy

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  data warehousing & mining

• david

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  NATGRID will enhance the capebility of Indian Intelligence agencies & time saving for various enquries, reason :can get all info about suspects in single click.

• John AbRaham Lincoln

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  Hi Thanks for such an informative article Mrunal

  But i have a doubt in my mind , as you know we have two type of terrorism 1. from outside
  2. from inside

  and a majority of these terrorist do now have voter/adhar card , no registered vehicle , they obviously will not upload their pic while getting train reservation , filling income tax(haha)
  so how can we stop terrorism by storing the information of innocent civilians
  initially i thought this is a measure to stop crimes but the line
  —3.Security and intelligence agencies will not be able to use the NATGRID system to access information for any purpose other than that of countering terror. —-

  says something else .

  In countries like America this system can prove to be efficient (assuming the security of information) because but in INDIA we should pay more attention (and money) to stop infiltration , communal clashes , Kashmir issues etc