Srinagar, Jan 5: The Srinagar district administration has ordered the immediate suspension of all Virtual Private Network (VPN) services within its territorial jurisdiction for a period of two months
The order was issued by the District Magistrate (DM) Srinagar under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and comes as part of a broader enforcement drive initiated by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to curb the alleged misuse of encrypted digital platforms.
According to the order, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar had submitted a report flagging serious apprehensions about the misuse of VPN services by “vested interests”, warning that such activities could have adverse implications for public order, cyber security and overall law and order in the district.
The administration noted that VPN services, which transmit encrypted data through point-to-point tunnels, allow users to conceal their IP addresses and bypass website restrictions, firewalls and monitoring mechanisms. While these features are commonly used worldwide for privacy and data protection, the order said they also carry the potential for exploitation for unlawful and anti-national activities.
“These platforms can be misused for incitement of unrest, dissemination of inflammatory content and coordination of activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order,” the DM said adding that unrestricted VPN usage poses “serious risks to public safety, cyber security and the protection of sensitive data”.
Citing the need for immediate preventive action in the larger public interest, the District Magistrate ordered the suspension of all VPN services with immediate effect.
However, the order clarified that the ban will not apply to authorised VPN usage by government departments, particularly those operating through the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
As serving individual notices to all concerned persons was considered impractical, the order was issued ex parte. The administration has directed that it be given wide publicity through the district website, leading newspapers and by affixing copies on notice boards of the offices of the District Magistrate, SSP Srinagar, Sub-Divisional Magistrates of Srinagar East and West, and all tehsildars.
The SSP Srinagar has been instructed to ensure strict implementation of the order in letter and spirit, officials said.
The Srinagar order comes amid an intensified crackdown on VPN usage across Kashmir. Over the past week, district administrations in Budgam, Baramulla, Sopore, Shopian and Kulgam have issued similar prohibitory orders banning unauthorised VPN services for two months.
Police have launched verification and monitoring drives across multiple districts, identifying dozens of individuals allegedly using VPN services in violation of the orders. In some cases, FIRs have been registered, while others have faced preventive action under the BNSS after background and technical scrutiny.
Authorities have argued that VPNs are increasingly being misused to bypass online restrictions imposed during security operations, including blocks on certain websites, social media accounts, and digital platforms linked to misinformation or propaganda.