India seeks stricter VPN rules requiring local offices, compliance officers
India's government is looking to bring in stricter rules for providers of virtual private networks, or VPNs, aiming to make them set up offices in India and appoint compliance officers.
This follows earlier attempts to get VPNs to store user information, such as names and email addresses, which didn't really stick.
The push comes as more people use VPNs to access blocked content, especially after big censorship spikes last year.
Local employees could face fines, jail
If VPN companies do not follow the new rules, local employees could face fines or even jail time.
Some providers have already moved their servers out of India because of privacy concerns.
Officials say having someone on the ground is needed so they can enforce content blocks, but many users and companies are concerned about how this will affect privacy and internet freedom.