The Information Processing Center (IPC) has undergone several changes these past few months. At the beginning of the semester, connectivity issues, poor net speeds and the blocking or throttling of several websites, including those used for academic purposes, plagued internet services on campus. While complaints were promptly dealt with, and the situation has now vastly improved, we interviewed the new Faculty In-Charge, Prof. Yashwardhan Sharma about changes and the path forward for internet infrastructure on campus.

Prof. Sharma clarified that the issues faced by the students were primarily due to the upgradation of the firewall, as well as several other infrastructure enhancements. When asked for the rationale behind blocking certain websites, Prof. Sharma said that a guideline was being worked upon which would explain the Institute’s policy regarding internet usage. He also stated that the Institute’s policy of blocking frequently used apps such as WhatsApp was under review. Until then, if a student believes a website should be made accessible, he can register a complaint on the IPC online complaint management system (ICMS) and the IPC would consider allowing access. The usage of the portal itself has been a positive, with complaints dealt with within 72 hours.

The Chancellor’s Action Points promised an additional bandwidth on campus, and that has been achieved with bandwidth increased to 2.25 GBps. An even more ambitious goal being worked upon is provide each student a user ID and password, which will allow access to internet through various WiFi routers across campus. The process is already underway, with residents in Meera receiving a their user IDs, and bhawan which are currently operational on LAN have had routers installed. Possible destinations where additional routers could be installed include the library and SAC. The shift to an one student-one login system will allow the Institute to keep user logs and even impose a daily usage limit, such as the one in place at BITS Goa. The daily data cap will ensure that a few students will not consume a disproportionate amount of bandwidth, and may lead to better net speeds for all.

While the changes coming to campus internet contain several positives, having individual user logs raises some obvious privacy concerns. Prof. Sharma was quick to dispel the notion that the user logs would be used to actively monitor students. He concluded by stating that the total shift to WiFi could be expected by the end of the semester, with plans to further increase bandwidth already underway.