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The Indian Express reported on Friday that India's government is developing new regulations for VPN providers, which could require them to establish local offices in India and appoint compliance officers to coordinate with authorities. No official draft law or public announcement was released.

The Indian Express reported on Friday that India's government is developing new regulations for VPN providers, which could require them to establish local offices in India and appoint compliance officers to coordinate with authorities. No official draft law or public announcement was released.

The proposed framework follows 2022 Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) directives — which required VPN providers to retain customer data for at least five years — that led to major providers including Proton VPN, NordVPN and ExpressVPN removing their physical servers from India.

The proposed framework follows 2022 Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) directives — which required VPN providers to retain customer data for at least five years — that led to major providers including Proton VPN, NordVPN and ExpressVPN removing their physical servers from India.

Indian authorities are reportedly considering criminal provisions, including possible jail terms for locally appointed employees of VPN companies that fail to comply, mirroring obligations already imposed on large social media platforms under India's Information Technology Rules, 2021.

Indian authorities are reportedly considering criminal provisions, including possible jail terms for locally appointed employees of VPN companies that fail to comply, mirroring obligations already imposed on large social media platforms under India's Information Technology Rules, 2021.

India issued more than 24,000 content-blocking orders in 2025, nearly double the roughly 12,000 issued in 2024. VPN services bypass these measures by allowing users to route traffic through overseas servers and access geo-blocked content.

India issued more than 24,000 content-blocking orders in 2025, nearly double the roughly 12,000 issued in 2024. VPN services bypass these measures by allowing users to route traffic through overseas servers and access geo-blocked content.

Proton VPN General Manager David Peterson said daily registrations from India rose by more than 120% after <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.verity.news/story/2026/india-blocks-telegram-for-neetug-exam-fraud">Telegram was temporarily blocked</a> amid an investigation into the potential leak of a medical school entrance exam last month, leading to his account being blocked.

Proton VPN General Manager David Peterson said daily registrations from India rose by more than 120% after Telegram was temporarily blocked amid an investigation into the potential leak of a medical school entrance exam last month, leading to his account being blocked.

An estimated half of India's 800 million internet users rely on VPNs. Customer data that VPNs must retain under the 2022 regulations, which also cover cloud platforms and crypto exchanges, include usernames as well as email and IP addresses.

An estimated half of India's 800 million internet users rely on VPNs. Customer data that VPNs must retain under the 2022 regulations, which also cover cloud platforms and crypto exchanges, include usernames as well as email and IP addresses.

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India's government is reportedly developing new regulations for VPN providers, which could require them to establish local offices in India and appoint compliance officers to coordinate with authorities. No official draft law or public announcement had been released.

India's government is reportedly developing new regulations for VPN providers, which could require them to establish local offices in India and appoint compliance officers to coordinate with authorities. No official draft law or public announcement had been released.

Indian authorities are also considering criminal provisions, including possible jail terms for locally appointed employees of VPN companies that fail to comply, mirroring obligations already imposed on large social media platforms under India's Information Technology Rules, 2021.

Indian authorities are also considering criminal provisions, including possible jail terms for locally appointed employees of VPN companies that fail to comply, mirroring obligations already imposed on large social media platforms under India's Information Technology Rules, 2021.

India's push to regulate VPNs is just the latest move in a years-long campaign to tighten government control over what people can see and say online. Blocking orders have more than doubled and the proposed VPN law would strong-arm companies into enforcing that censorship or face criminal penalties. Threatening jail time for compliance officers is a pressure tactic designed to silence dissent.

India's push to regulate VPNs is just the latest move in a years-long campaign to tighten government control over what people can see and say online. Blocking orders have more than doubled and the proposed VPN law would strong-arm companies into enforcing that censorship or face criminal penalties. Threatening jail time for compliance officers is a pressure tactic designed to silence dissent.

VPN providers can't hide behind privacy arguments when their platforms are actively enabling exam fraud, cybercrime and evidence tampering at a national scale. The court upheld Telegram's block precisely because targeted takedowns kept failing. Requiring local compliance officers and registered offices gives authorities a lawful way to enforce blocking orders that already have a solid legal foundation.

VPN providers can't hide behind privacy arguments when their platforms are actively enabling exam fraud, cybercrime and evidence tampering at a national scale. The court upheld Telegram's block precisely because targeted takedowns kept failing. Requiring local compliance officers and registered offices gives authorities a lawful way to enforce blocking orders that already have a solid legal foundation.

Report: India Proposing New VPN Regulations

Report: India Proposing New VPN Regulations

The Spin

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Report: India Proposing New VPN Regulations

Report: India Proposing New VPN Regulations

The Spin

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