Bhubaneswar: The State Government has made the registration of cyber cafés mandatory as per the Central guideline. This was informed by the Information Technology Minister Raghu Nath Mohanty.

Mohanty said the state government will issue formal notification to make cyber café registration compulsory would be issued soon. Mohanty said the Centre had already issued a notification relating to opening of cyber cafés, Cyber Café Rule-2011, on March 16 last. The notification asked all  State Governments to register cyber cafes and authorised district Collectors and Commissionerate of Police to make the registration mandatory at their level under Rule 3 of the Cyber Café Guideline.

He said as per the proposed notification all the cyber cafes, including the existing ones, would have to register themselves with the concerned authorities.

Mohanty said as per the rule, the cyber cafes operating in districts would have to register themselves with the district Collectors and the cafes operating in the limits of the Commissionerate of Police areas would have to register themselves with the Commissioner of Police. They would regularly monitor the activities and operation of the cafes, he said.

As per the proposed rule, a cyber cafe shall not allow any user its computer resources without identity of the user being established. The intending user has to prove his or her identity by producing photo identity cards issued by authorised officials or heads of their institutions.

Mohanty said as per the rule, after identity of the user is established, the cyber cafe would record and maintain the required information of each user in the log register for a minimum period of one year.