Gurugram: Union Home Minister Amit Shah today pointed out the dangers of cryptocurrencies and called for building cyber resilience internationally to make the digital world safer for everyone.
โThe transformation of our security challenges from 'dynamite to metaverse, and the conversion of hawala' to cryptocurrency is a matter of concern for the countries of the world. All together we have to come up with a common strategy against it. Terrorists are finding new ways to perpetrate violence, radicalize youth and raise financial resources, and terrorists are using the new methods in the form of virtual assets for financial transactions," Shah said, addressing the G20 Conference on Crime and Security in the Age. of NFTs, AI and Metaverse, on Gurugram.
He said that terrorists are using the dark web to hide their identity and spread radical material. โWe have to understand the pattern of these activities running on the dark web and find solutions for them. He said that in order to create a robust and efficient operating system, we must think coherently to crack down on the use of various virtual assets,โ he added.
โWe live in a huge global digital village. While technology is a welcome development in bringing humans, communities and countries closer together, there are also some anti-social elements and global forces that are using it to cause economic and social harm to citizens and governments. Therefore, this conference becomes even more important as it can be a major global initiative towards coordinated action to make the digital world safer for everyone,โ he said.
Shah said that the Metaverse, once a science fiction idea, has now entered the real world and may create new opportunities for terrorist organizations, mainly for propaganda, recruitment and training.
He noted that this will make it easier for terrorist organizations to select and target vulnerable people and prepare material according to their vulnerabilities.
He said the metaverse also creates opportunities for true imitation of a user's identity, known as "deep forgeries," and by using better biometric information about people, criminals will be able to impersonate users and steal their identities.
Shah said cybercriminals are carrying out incidents ranging from ransomware attacks, selling critical personal data, online bullying and child abuse to fake news and disinformation campaigns using 'toolkits'.
He said there should be greater coordination between cyber agencies from all countries to report and act on cyber incidents, he said.
โCooperation in cross-border cybercrime investigation through joint efforts to build a 'peaceful, secure, deterrent and open' information and communication technology environment is extremely necessary today. In accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Criminal Use of Information and Communication Technologies, the rapid preservation, investigation and coordination of evidence is essential. Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) need to be strengthened to deal with emerging threats due to emerging technologies,โ he said.
โThere should be a 24/7 cyber security mechanism in place for effective 'predict, prevent, protect and recover' action. The nature of the cyber threat landscape has extended across national borders, requiring cooperation and information sharing by nations, organizations, and stakeholders to effectively combat cybercrime. The time has come to build a 'Transparent and Accountable AI and Emerging Technologies Governance Framework' to ensure responsible use. Given the increase in digital currency-related cybercrime, there is a need for a "dedicated common channel" between nations to prevent such financial irregularities. Third party verification of NFT platforms will increase trust and curb criminal activities.โ
Shah said that many countries in the world have become victims of cyber attacks and this threat looms over all major economies in the world. He claimed that according to World Bank estimates, cyberattacks could have caused losses of around $5.2 trillion to the world during the years 2019-2023.
Shah said that the Government of India has worked to outline a uniform cyber strategy, real-time reporting of cybercrimes, capacity building of law enforcement agencies, design of analytical tools, establishment of a national network of forensic laboratories. , guarantee of cyber hygiene and cyber diffusion. awareness to all citizens.
The Home Minister said that 840 million Indians have an online presence, and by 2025 another 400 million Indians will enter the digital world. He said that internet connections in India have increased by 250% in the last 9 years and the cost per GB of Data has been reduced by 96%.
Shah said that the chances of cyber threats have also increased. He cited Interpol's 'Global Trends Summary Report' for the year 2022, which indicates that some of the cybercrime trends such as ransomware, phishing, online scams, online child sexual abuse and hacking represent serious threats all over the world and there is a possibility that these cybercrimes will multiply in the future.
He said that a discussion on cyberspace security and cybercrime on the G20 platform will help in the development of the 'Information and Intelligence Sharing Network' and give impetus to 'Global Cooperation' in this field. Shah said the aim of this conference is to promote a safe and efficient international framework to enhance and secure 'digital public goods' and 'digital public infrastructure', as well as optimally harness the power of technology.
He said that at the same time, there is also a growing trend to strategically target critical information and financial systems. Such activities are a matter of national interest, as their activities have a direct impact on national security, law and order, and the economy, he said.
He stressed that if such crimes and criminals are to be stopped, then we have to think and act beyond conventional geographical boundaries. Shah pointed out that the targets in digital warfare are not physical resources, but the ability to act online. He said that disruption to online networks, even for a few minutes, can be fatal.
Shah said that the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) has been implemented in all police stations in the country. He said that the Government of India has established the India Cyber โโCrime Coordination Center (I-4C) to ensure a comprehensive response against cyber crime. The Indian government has also created a massive open online course platform called the 'CyTrain' portal, which is perhaps the world's largest training program in the field of cyber security.
Shah expressed his hope that this conference will provide a concrete action plan in this direction. He said that an integrated and stable approach to cybersecurity policies will facilitate interoperability, increase trust in information sharing, and reduce agency protocols and resource gaps.
