Following the recent security threats and the high chances of anti-social elements using cyber, internet cafes to carry out their nefarious activities, the city police on Monday appealed to owners of cyber joints to take sufficient precautions in order to prevent untoward incidents.
The deputy commissioner of police (DCP), south zone, Tarun Joshi said cyber cafe owners or the network service provider should not allow any person to use computer systems without establishing the identity of the user.
The intending user may establish his identity by producing any photo identity card issued by any school or college or a photo credit card of any bank or passport or voters identity card or PAN number card issued by the income-tax authorities or photo identity card issued by the employer or driving license to the satisfaction of cyber cafe owners.
“After the identity of the user is established, the owner of the cyber joints or the manager or the attendant or on his behalf any authorised person managing the place, should obtain name of the user, age and sex of the user, present residential address and log in, log out time,” he said.
He further added that if a user cannot produce any photo identity card to establish his identity to the satisfaction of cyber cafes owner or network service provider the the cafe owners should photograph the user after obtaining the consent, using a ‘web camera’ hooked onto one of the computers.
“It is the duty of the owner to explain the user that the person’s photograph will be taken and stored in a hard disk of a computer for verification, whenever required. This is in addition to the entries made in the log register,’” the DCP said.
In case, if the user refuses for storing the photograph, the person should not be allowed to access internet. “All time clocks in cyber cafes must be regularly checked and synchronised with Indian Standard Time (IST) and with that of the internet service providers,” he said.
Maintaining proper account of the user as explained shall be the responsibility of the owner. Those who fail to maintain log register will be liable for penalties as provided in the Act or any other law, for the time being in force.
All cyber cafes in the city were asked to display the rules forbidding the users from resorting to any anti-social activity or accessing pornographic website. “It should be clearly mentioned that violators shall be prosecuted and it is necessary to install CCTV cameras with digital recording facility to clearly capture the photographs of all persons visiting the place,” said the DCP.