India could soon get access to a U.S. database of 11,000 terror suspects if the countries sign a pact to exchange information on terrorists, during the Homeland Security dialogue in December. The information would be shared through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s legal attache at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi.
Though some security agencies expressed concern over giving unhindered access to the U.S. on such “sensitive database”, the government is of the view that it would be beneficial in the long run. India is, however, insisting that “privacy issues” be taken care of, and the agreement not be a tool to serve only the interests of the U.S. In return, it wants access to Internet-related data from U.S.-based service providers like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, among others.
The Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD -6) is a model text agreement proposed by the U.S. for exchange of terrorist screening information between the Terrorist Screening Centre of the U.S. and an Indian agency.
India has proposed that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) should be made the nodal agency for sharing such information.
The U.S. has already finalised such agreements with 30 countries. The agreement is likely to be signed during the U.S.-India Counter-terrorism and Homeland Security Cooperation dialogue to be attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart Jeh Johnson in December next. TSC is a multi-agency organisation administered by the FBI, which consolidates several terrorist watch lists maintained by different U.S. government agencies into a single terrorist database on terror suspects.
