In attempts to crack down on cybersecurity, the Indian Department of Electronics and Information Technology created a legislation which includes banning users from deleting information stored on their devices before a 90 day period.

“Almost every Internet-based method of communication uses some level of encryption. This means that deleting messages that are less than three months old from widely used instant messengers, like WhatsApp, Viber and Hike, as well as from e-mail clients such as Gmail, would be illegal,” according to CNET.

“All information shall be stored by the concerned [organisations/citizens] entity for 90 days from the date of transaction and made available to Law Enforcement Agencies as and when demanded in line with the provisions of the laws of the country,” according to the legislation draft.

The draft has recently been made unavailable through the link provided by CNET. However, the report says that the draft will be open for public commentary until October 16, allowing time for users to voice their grievances to ensure that the proper changes are made necessary.

“It comes months after the issue of Net neutrality was a hot topic in India,” according to CNET.

“At the heart of the debate was telco Airtel, who attempted a zero-rating plan which involved select sites, like e-retail giant Flipkart, becoming data-free for customers, which some cited as anti-competitive practice.”

Whether or not the country will take into consideration the wishes of the users remains to be seen but it would mark one of the more strict cyber policies and could drastically change the way users communicate.

Read the full story.