BSNL's CODE of Misconduct. We write to the DOT on the need for immediate action.

Highlights

• Background: IFF filed RTIs with BSNL, the DOT on the malicious code injections by BSNL, wrote to the DOT and also submitted an incident report to CERT-In on the issue. We received a response to our BSNL RTI claiming that the code injections contain no malware, but acknowledging the existence of such code injections nonetheless.
• Need for investigation:  We write to the DOT with the help of reports by our communitry members of persisting code injections by BSNL. We request that necessary investigative action be taken in addressing the matter.

Background

Previously, we informed you of our three pronged approach to the engaging of code injections by BSNL. While we did not recieve a response from the DOT and CERT-In to our complaints, we received responses to the RTIs filed with BSNL and the DOT. However, while the DOT claimed the subject matter did not pertain to them, BSNL sent a response stating that that the there was no malware in the advertisements injected into the code.

We couldn't have done it without our community

The knowledge that BSNL is aware of their own code injections is itself problematic. We wrote to the DOT to highlight that the alteration of code through injections is itself a violation of the principles of net neutrality and license conditions as we have explained in our previous post. Our supportive community members provided us with firsthand reports of tests conducted by them to inspect BSNL services for continuing code injections. One of the reports suggested that certain ad domains redirected to were considered suspicious by Kaspersky Internet Security.

Government needs to take action

We have informed the DOT of previous actions and correspondence conducted by us in attempts to address this issue. But in light of BSNL's response and the continuing practice of code injections, we write to the DOT with two requests:

1. To carry out an investigation and take action in line with complaints/reports in our previous correspondence.
2. To direct BSNL to take recourse as we have suggested in our previous complaint dated 17.05.2019 with Ref. No. IFF/2019/110 or necessary measures in addressing the issue of code injections

Links to important documents

• Follow-up to the DOT along with BSNL response (link)

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