Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has imposed an ex-parte ban on the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) in parts of the Union territory, citing threat to national security and apprehensions of “incitement to unrest”.In an order on Monday (December 29), the district magistrate (DM) of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, imposed a temporary ban on the use of VPNs by smartphone users and others in the district by invoking section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).At least six districts – four in Kashmir valley and two in Jammu region – have banned the use of the VPNs this month by invoking Section 163 of the BNSS which grants extraordinary powers to the executive magistrates to issue “urgent orders to prevent nuisance or danger”.‘Unprecedented high usage’The order by the Shopian DM Shishir Gupta refers to a communication (No. CS/Misc/2025/11709, dated 26.12.2025) from the senior superintendent of police (Shopian) about “unprecedented high usage” of the VPNs “over the past few days” by “suspicious internet users” in the district.It noted that the VPNs “create point-to-point tunnels” and “mask IP addresses“ which could “enable users to bypass website blocks and firewalls, thereby making data related to sensitive information vulnerable to cyber-attacks”.While warning of legal action against the offenders, the order said that “immediate preventive measures” were necessitated under section 163 of BNSS to “safeguard data/information related to the sensitive content from potential cyber threats”.“Such activities have the potential to be exploited for unlawful and anti-national purposes, including inciting unrest, disseminating inflammatory material and coordinating activities prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order and also security of the UT of J&K,” the order noted.Citing section 163, a repealed version of the colonial-era Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the DM has ordered “temporary suspension of the usage of all kinds of VPN applications and services on mobile phones and other digital devices/gadgets” in Shopian for two months, unless the order was withdrawn earlier.‘Ex-parte’The DM said that the order was being passed ex-parte because it was not possible to serve it “individually to all concerned” while calling for its widespread publicity on the websites of government departments and government offices as well as through the media.“The Senior Superintendent of Police, Shopian shall ensure implementation of this order in letter and spirit,” the order said.In a similar order on Monday, the Kupwara DM Shrikant Balasaheb Suse cited “threat to national security” for imposing a ban on the use of VPNs by netizens in the north Kashmir district.The prohibitory orders on the use of VPNs under section 163 of BNSS have also been issued by the administrations in south Kashmir’s Kulgam and Pulwama district, and Rajouri district of Jammu.These orders have urged the netizens to “fully comply with the restrictions and refrain from using VPN services on all digital devices”.The Wire could not verify immediately whether such orders have been issued by the district administrations in other parts of Jammu and Kashmir.On 27 December, the Doda police in Chenab valley of Jammu region booked two persons on the charges of using VPN applications “in violation of the district magistrate’s orders”.“In several areas, security forces are checking on the cellphones of people to find out if they are using VPN applications. It was during one of these checks that two persons identified as Khalid Abrar and Mohammad Irfan were found to be using VPN at two separate places in Doda district,” reports said.According to reports, at least ten people have been booked for using VPN applications on their smartphone devices in different parts of the Union territory this month.Search operation afootThe orders to ban VPN use in parts of J&K have been issued at a time when the security forces are in the midst of a massive search operation to hunt down suspected militants who are believed to have taken refuge in the higher reaches of Doda and Kishtwar districts of Chenab valley.On December 16, Amjad Ali Khan, a member of J&K police elite special operations group, was killed in action while battling a group of heavily armed militants in Udhampur district which shares a border with Doda district.Although the use of VPNs is not illegal per se, as per existing laws, the Union ministry of electronics and information technology directed the VPN providers on 28 April 2022 to perform a KYC (‘know your customer’) on their users and maintain usage logs for five years.The order, which has been criticised for breach of privacy and “frontal violation of individual liberty” by legal experts and rights activists, has forced many VPN service providers to shut down their servers in India.