111 ANNEXURE P-6 The Secret World of Phone Tapping Your private conversations can be easily monitored by the Government. How it is done, who's in charge, and the future. Sandeep UnnithanBhavna Vij-AuroraAshish Khetan December 20, 2010 ISSUE DATE: December 20, 2010 UPDATED: December 20, 2010 00:00 IST Over a million mobile phones, across service providers, are under the surveillance of Central agencies in India through the year. Officially, the Government will admit to over 6,000 telephones in New Delhi being tapped. This secret hot list has as many as 400 bureaucrats and military officials monitored on suspicion of corruption, 200 corporate honchos, over 50 top journalists, an equal number of fixers, a dozen arms dealers, two dozen NGOs and about 100 high society pimps, drug dealers and hawala operators. This is in addition to suspected militants, their supporters and sympathisers and known criminals. In an attempt to widen its surveillance net, the Home Ministry has now sought suitable amendments to the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, to allow active intervention for tapping phones and monitoring Internet communication. Home Secretary G.K. Pillai says the home ministry is pursuing changes to the country's telecom laws to bring clarity in the Government's authority to intercept highly secure corporate communications. This will be part of broader changes related to lawful intercept policy and privacy.