Ketan Ranga for Mid-day
Mumbai, Jun 13: Directory with all mobile phone numbers, including those of actors and corporate bosses, is set to be published
In a move that could spell doom for anyone who values privacy, the Department of Telecommunications is about to accept a suggestion by security and intelligence agencies to publish a directory containing all cellphone numbers.
The move comes after investigations revealed the increased cellphone usage by terrorists for internal communication and also for carrying out blasts.
Security and intelligence agencies, during investigations into twin blasts at a Delhi cinema hall and the terror attack at Ayodhya in 2005, had found that terrorists had used mobile phones for networking across Jammu and Kashmir, Akbarpur and Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
More recently, the July 11 blasts in Mumbai and the blast at a Hyderabad mosque were triggered using mobile phones. Alarmed by the growing cellphone usage by terrorists, the security agencies wanted service providers to publish a users’ directory.
“It will definitely help us in locating the culprit faster, which is essential in security matters,” said Police Commissioner D N Jadhav.
Service providers not happy
Union Secretary of Communications and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman, D S Mathur, said, “TRAI had sent us the recommendation in 2005. It’s a policy decision, which takes a long time.
We have made a decision to recommend publishing a directory and the final decision rests with the minister. There are some other departments, too, involved before a decision can be made.”
Cellular service providers, however, are not pleased with the idea.
“We have always opposed it. No one will want their numbers to be on the directory.
Film stars, corporate honchos, even girls will not want their numbers to be made public,” said T V Ramchandran, director, Cellular Operators Association.
Corporate bosses too are wary about the idea. “It will disturb the life of stars and corporates. I feel most of them will not be happy about their numbers becoming public,” said Sajid Shamim, marketing director, Reebok.
Film stars, who keep changing their numbers almost every month to keep away unwanted callers, will have a tough time once the directory is out.