According to regulating sources in Governemnt Cybercriminals now seem to have a new agenda data terrorism.
An online scam perpetrated last year had targeted prominent women in India with invitations to study and teach at Ivy League universities in the United States.
A well-known TV journalist from the country was at the receiving end of one such scam, when she packed her bags for Harvard, after getting an offer to work as a lecturer at the haloed institution, only to be informed that there were no records pertaining to her appointment.
A similar experience was shared by another seasoned journalist who was invited to a high profile political conference in the US.
After the exchange of numerous emails and passport details, the communications ceased one fine day.
Interestingly, as compared to typical online fraudsters, these scammers had not used the information extracted from the women to steal money or blackmail the victims.
According to a cybersecurity expert who had run a series of tests on the aforementioned TV journalist’s laptop, the scam seemed to have been carried out by a ring of foreign actors as part of a targeted surveillance campaign, the onus of which was placed on nations such as Pakistan and China.
Apart from the intervention of non-State actors in such incidents of digital crimes, there are ample examples of how social media and the Internet in general is being weaponised to silence dissent and criticisms.
Taking cognisance of the evolving nature of cyberspace and its associated threats, Junior Minister for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said last month that India needs a new digital law as the current legislation is 20 years old.
Speaking about reforming the IT Act, the Minister said that it was essential that the next bit of legislation pertaining to internet laws is flexible and evolutionary.
It was also pointed out that the piecemeal amendments and minor additions had failed to adequately address new concerns that were being thrown up as the technology constantly evolved, especially in areas such as artificial intelligence, algorithms, blockchain, cryptocurrency and what have you.
The proposed Data Protection Act also addresses the concerns of citizens’ right to privacy while putting forth rules pertaining to all intermediaries involved.
The all-pervasive concerns pertaining to cyber safety and data privacy have been long running issues in India.
From questions regarding the protection of an individual’s, enterprise’s, government agency’s or the general public’s data in cyberspace, to the proliferation of cybercrimes by leaps and bounds over the past few years, there seems to be a lot that the government has to chew on when it comes to addressing data security in the Indian context.
The recent statistics revealed by the government on the quantum of digital crimes being perpetrated in India, offered some perspective on this subject.
India has a tall order on its hand as far as data protection and privacy are concerned.
As one of the largest connected democracies globally, the manner in which the nation proceeds to manage its digitisation with the Digital India drive will become the reference point for emerging economies with their own attempts at adoption.
However, amidst all that brouhaha, what is also necessary is to ensure that India’s cyberspace is an open, inclusive and safe zone, that it can be trusted, and that it’s responsible and accountable.
Key to that endgame is the creation of a predictable and dynamic model of jurisprudence that can address concerns relevant to a constantly shape-shifting internet ecosystem.
