India Signs Agreement with UK On Co-Operation in Fighting Cybercrime

While hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games, India watched as online tickets suddenly vanished. But no funds were received, the stadiums were empty and shut-out fans were furious.

The website's cyber security had been breached, leading to losses of around Rs. 1.5 billion ($27.3m). "Somebody played a dirty trick. It was a situation nobody had expertise in handling back then. It cost the organisers a huge loss," National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon told Khabar South Asia.

This month, India signed its first ever agreement with a foreign country – United Kingdom – on co-operation in fighting cybercrime. It was inked on November 9th by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his British counterpart, William Hague.

The accord, authorities hope, will not only help prevent hacker exploits of the sort that marred the 2010 Games, but will also guard against the dangers posed by internet-savvy terrorists.

"The cyber-security dialogue will seek to reduce the risk of threats from cyberspace to international security and strengthen the bilateral co-operation in tackling cybercrime," the ministers said in a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting.

At the same time, both sides affirmed their commitment to the "core principles of liberty, transparency, freedom of expression and the rule of law" in cyberspace.

According to Deputy National Security Advisor Vijay Latha Reddy, India sees the agreement as an initial step in a longer-term strategy.

"Through this partnership in the area of cyber-security it is hoped that India will gain the expertise to emerge as the global centre for cyber-security services, products and trained personnel," he told Khabar.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, meanwhile, told Khabar that his ministry is establishing dialogue mechanisms with the United States, Japan, Russia and the EU.

In recent months, the Indian government has taken huge strides towards plugging the security loopholes as e-governance becomes increasingly vital.

The issue has become more urgent as the government moves more and more of its operations online, presenting an attractive target for hackers.

In 2002, most government-to-public interfaces were still manual, said Sushama Ramakrishnan, a research fellow at the National Council for Applied Economic Research.

Today, by contrast, "at least 40% of all businesses are conducted online. Unless this is backed up by cyber-security, all hell will break loose," she told Khabar."Even the efficient running of trains and airline schedules could be jeopardised."

The partnership with Britain could help fill a gaping human resource shortage, Ramakrishnan told Khabar. "We need at least 500,000 cyber-security professionals but only a few hundred are available at present. India being a growing economic power, this shortfall needs to be bridged with the co-operation of friendly countries."

Meanwhile, the authorities remain concerned about the use of social media and other internet platforms by terror groups seeking to stir up interethnic tensions. In August, a panic provoked by internet rumours– allegedly posted by extremist groups – caused thousands of migrants to flee India's south.

"Considerations of internet freedom have clashed with government's urge to maintain security," Menon, the national security advisor, told Khabar. "We have seen the misuse of social media disturb relations between communities. It is important to create a virtuous circle of security while ensuring democratic rights of freedom of speech and privacy are not affected."Source-khabarsouthasia