The Hindu : CAS is a security threat, says Maharashtra

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 13, 2003

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CAS is a security threat, says Maharashtra

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI Sept. 12. After being rejected as an "anti-consumer'' measure, the Conditional Access System (CAS) has now been billed as a "security threat" by the Maharashtra Government.

The security concern vis-à-vis CAS was raised by the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Chhagan Bhujbal, on Thursday in a letter to the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Though Mr. Bhujbal touched upon other issues — the non-involvement of the State in the decision to implement CAS, its postponement in Delhi till December, and the added expenditure on consumers — the thrust of his letter was on how the Set-Top Boxes (STBs) needed to access pay-channels were a security threat.

According to Mr. Bhujbal, specific messages can be passed on to particular individuals through the STBs.

Voicing his concern, Mr. Bhujbal pointed out that CAS would, therefore, make greater demands on "the already stretched police machinery" of Mumbai in the wake of the twin blasts in the metropolis on August 25. Mr. Prasad, for his part, was quick to respond, stating in a letter sent today that viewing pay channels through the STBs "is standard international practice''.

Since the concern raised by Mr. Bhujbal was earlier articulated by the Shiv Sena MP, Sanjay Nirupam, in the Rajya Sabha during a calling attention motion, the I&B Ministry had apparently sought the Home Ministry's views on this. Quoting the Home Ministry, Mr. Prasad informed Mr. Bhujbal that value-added services such as SMS/MMS should not be provided through the STBs till the service-providers obtained the licence to do so and set up equipment to monitor such communication.

Editorial on Page 10

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