17 October
What happened on this date in privacy, anonymity networks and censorship. Every year on the same date we add a new look back and keep the earlier ones as they were.
2026
Apps blocked in India and the law behind them
If you travel to India, some apps on your phone may not work there. On 17 October 2000, India's government appointed that day, by official notification, for the Act to come into force, and its original Section 69 let a designated official order government agencies to intercept information sent through computers. Anyone called on had to help decrypt it, with up to seven years in prison for refusing (in Taiwan, interception during an investigation needs a court-issued warrant). An amendment that took effect in 2009 widened Section 69 to interception, monitoring and decryption and added Section 69A to let the government order information blocked, which the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology used in June 2020 to block 59 apps, including TikTok and WeChat. India's government said in August 2025 that no order had been issued to lift the TikTok ban, so before a trip, check that you have a way to keep in touch that works there.
Also on this day
- CNN reported that China quietly unblocked some Western news sites as leaders gathered in Shanghai for the APEC meeting. Source: CNN