‘Laptop, PC import ban will check security loopholes’

New Delhi: The central government has imposed a licensing requirement for the import of laptops, tablets and personal computers to guard against IT hardware coming in with in-built security loopholes that may potentially endanger sensitive personal and enterprise data, top sources said.

With India having sufficient capacity for IT hardware devices manufacturing, the requirement of purchasers needing permission to import laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, and ultra-small computers and servers will not in any way hit domestic availability, sources aware of the thinking behind the government move said.

Sources said the government is committed to ensuring that the Internet in India is ‘open, safe and trusted and accountable’ for all users. With the expansion of the Internet and more and more Indians coming online, the possibility of citizens being exposed to user harm and criminality has also increased. Various incidents of cybersecurity threats have also been reported. The inbuilt security loopholes like hardware backdoors and firmware malware in IT hardware may be potentially endangering sensitive personal and enterprise data, they said, adding providing secure hardware is the foundation for security.