'VPNs must make reasonable efforts' — India orders VPNs to block access to Polymarket and other banned betting platforms or lose 'safe harbour' protections | Tech Radar
Overview
News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Details
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
'VPNs must make reasonable efforts' — India orders VPNs to block access to Polymarket and other banned betting platforms or lose 'safe harbour' protections
The Ministry of Electronics and IT warns that non-compliance could lead to severe legal repercussions
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Image credit: Shutterstock (Image credit: Future + Omar Marques/SOPA Images/Light Rocket via Getty Images + Shutterstock)
India's IT Ministry ordered VPN firms to block access to Polymarket
Authorities state users are utilizing VPNs to bypass local betting restrictions
Failure to comply could cost VPNs their "safe harbour" legal protections
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meit Y) has issued a fresh directive requiring virtual private network (VPN) providers to block access to outlawed betting and prediction sites, explicitly singling out the controversial platform Polymarket.
Under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (PROGA), real-money online gaming and prediction markets are banned across the country. However, the government has observed that citizens are easily bypassing these domestic restrictions by routing their connections through VPN services.
According to the Indian Express, the advisory warns that providers failing to act could lose their "safe harbour" protections under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. This crucial legal shield usually protects tech intermediaries from being held liable for the content accessed or generated by their users.
Australia 'Swiss cheese-like age verification' may lead to a VPN ban, and digital safety is at risk
India's streaming giant lodges criminal complaint against Express VPN over alleged copyright-breaching marketing
Russia's major internet services instructed on how to detect VPNs
Polymarket is a decentralized prediction market where users buy and sell contracts tied to real-world events. The nature of the platform has faced scrutiny recently after a US Special Forces soldier won $400,000 betting on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's capture, prompting insider trading concerns.
That said, Polymarket already "strictly prohibits the use of VPNs or similar tools to bypass geographic restrictions," as the company states on its website.
According to the Meit Y advisory, users are circumventing the legal restrictions imposed on such platforms "by misusing VPN services to access these websites."
The government noted that merely blocking the websites at the ISP level has proven ineffective, stating that banned betting platforms remain readily accessible over a VPN connection. This, the Meit Y explains, renders domestic website blacklists meaningless.
"Meit Y hereby reiterates, with heightened emphasis, that all VPN service providers and other intermediaries must make reasonable efforts not to host or store or permit the access to any such platforms making available unlawful information, including 'Polymarket' and such other similar violative platforms operating in violation of law," the advisory read.
The government also highlighted that users are engaging in financial transactions through the conversion of Indian rupees into virtual digital assets such as USD Coin (USDC) or other stablecoins — another way that enables citizens' "participation in such platforms despite domestic prohibitions," the advisory reads.
Despite the firm regulatory stance, Indian authorities acknowledge the technical difficulties of enforcing a VPN-level block.
The best VPNs for India: we've found top choices using on the ground expert testing
La Liga wins court order, requiring Nord VPN and Proton VPN to block illegal football streams in Spain — but VPN firms say they have not been notified
UK government’s child safety plans could expose kids to 'greater harms,' warns VPN industry group
IT Secretary S Krishnan recently admitted to The Indian Express that separating legitimate privacy-focused VPN traffic from illegitimate use was "tricky" and "an ongoing exercise."
The Indian government has a history of clashing with privacy tools. Previous regulations have ordered VPNs to block access to websites that unlawfully expose citizens' data.
Furthermore, many major providers pulled their physical servers from the country following controversial data retention mandates, a move that led experts to slam the enforcement in India.
For everyday internet users in India, the latest advisory reinforces the precarious legal position of privacy tools in the region. While using a VPN remains strictly legal, the escalating pressure on providers to police user traffic could lead to further friction between the government and global cybersecurity firms.
Rene Millman is a seasoned technology journalist whose work has appeared in The Guardian, the Financial Times, Computer Weekly, and IT Pro. With over two decades of experience as a reporter and editor, he specializes in making complex topics like cybersecurity, VPNs, and enterprise software accessible and engaging.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
1I found 17 portable SSD deals at prices too good to ignore — there's a massive San Disk Extreme sale on at Best Buy with serious storage savings
2 Researchers discover new all-in-one ‘Bluekit’ phishing kit capable of bypassing enterprise 2FA protocols and emulating 40+ global brands
3 Legendary Deus Ex and Thief director Warren Spector is back with a new game — it’s a stealth-heist-em-up called Thick as Thieves, and even the price is a steal at just five bucks on Steam
4'Bond often starts without a gun in the movies, and he can solve that creatively' — 007 First Light combat designer on the method behind its bombastic brawls
5'Now this is podracing!' — Star Wars: Galactic Racer will officially launch in October as developer shares preorder details
Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
Key Takeaways
- News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
- Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
- Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
- Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
- Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards
