ET Bureau NEW DELHI: Nations must take responsibility to ensure that the internet does not become a playground for the dark forces of terrorism and radicalisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the Global Conference on Cyber Space in New Delhi on Thursday.
“Information sharing and coordination among security agencies is essential to counter the everchanging threat landscape,” Modi said at the inaugural session. This is the fifth edition of the conference and is being attended by cyber chiefs from about two dozen nations and 2,000 delegates.
Modi also launched the Umang mobile application, an integrated platform for government services for citizens. “The internet, by nature, is inclusive. It offers equity of access and equality of opportunity,” Modi said, adding that by using the trinity of Jan Dhan bank accounts, mobile and Aadhaar, his government has targeted subsidies better and prevented leakages to the tune of almost $10 billion so far. Houlin Zhao, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union, and Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Manoj Sinha and MJ Akbar are among the speakers lined up for the two-day conference.
Prasad said it is important to have a safe cyberspace so that the internet can be of great use to humankind and “extremists, terrorists and hackers are not able to foment trouble”. He said India upholds privacy governed by rule of law and the Constitution. “But privacy can’t prohibit innovation —that’s what we feel. Data analysis, data growth are big instruments of future growth. Most importantly, privacy can’t be the shield of the corrupt, terrorists and the extremists,” said Prasad.
Denmark and Iran said they want to get into an agreement for cooperation in the field of ICT, while Mauritius plans to emulate the DigiLocker platform of India, officials of the ministry of electronics and IT said. Modi acknowledged that cyber-attacks are a significant threat. “We need to ensure that vulnerable sections of our society do not fall prey to the evil designs of cyber criminals,” he said. Training should be offered so that well-equipped and capable professionals can counter cyber-threats.
“Cyber-warriors who will remain on the alert against cyber-attacks… We need to ensure that cyber-protection becomes an attractive and viable career option for the youth,” Modi said. The government expressed its stand in favour of net neutrality, after the debate on the issue was re-ignited by the US Federal Communications Commission’s announcement to repeal net neutrality regulations on Tuesday. India had taken a strong stand for free and fair internet access, which will continue, Prasad said.
“Without getting into the nuances of net neutrality, I can say that India has taken anew position on it and right of access is very important,” he said. India took a tough call against zero-rated plans such as Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero last year. Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe told the conference that net neutrality must be ensured because it lowers entry barriers, especially for the underprivileged. He added there is a need to strike a balance between free flow of information and individual freedom — a sentiment echoed by both Modi and Prasad.
“Information sharing and coordination among security agencies is essential to counter the everchanging threat landscape,” Modi said at the inaugural session. This is the fifth edition of the conference and is being attended by cyber chiefs from about two dozen nations and 2,000 delegates.
“Surely, we can walk the fine balance between privacy and openness, on one hand, and national security on the other. Together, we can overcome the differences between global and open systems, on one hand, and nation specific legal requirements on the other,” he said. Modi had previously urged India’s IT industry to take the lead in cyber security by developing products, arguing that the next world war would be fought in cyberspace.
Modi also launched the Umang mobile application, an integrated platform for government services for citizens. “The internet, by nature, is inclusive. It offers equity of access and equality of opportunity,” Modi said, adding that by using the trinity of Jan Dhan bank accounts, mobile and Aadhaar, his government has targeted subsidies better and prevented leakages to the tune of almost $10 billion so far. Houlin Zhao, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union, and Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Manoj Sinha and MJ Akbar are among the speakers lined up for the two-day conference.
Prasad said it is important to have a safe cyberspace so that the internet can be of great use to humankind and “extremists, terrorists and hackers are not able to foment trouble”. He said India upholds privacy governed by rule of law and the Constitution. “But privacy can’t prohibit innovation —that’s what we feel. Data analysis, data growth are big instruments of future growth. Most importantly, privacy can’t be the shield of the corrupt, terrorists and the extremists,” said Prasad.
Denmark and Iran said they want to get into an agreement for cooperation in the field of ICT, while Mauritius plans to emulate the DigiLocker platform of India, officials of the ministry of electronics and IT said. Modi acknowledged that cyber-attacks are a significant threat. “We need to ensure that vulnerable sections of our society do not fall prey to the evil designs of cyber criminals,” he said. Training should be offered so that well-equipped and capable professionals can counter cyber-threats.
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“Cyber-warriors who will remain on the alert against cyber-attacks… We need to ensure that cyber-protection becomes an attractive and viable career option for the youth,” Modi said. The government expressed its stand in favour of net neutrality, after the debate on the issue was re-ignited by the US Federal Communications Commission’s announcement to repeal net neutrality regulations on Tuesday. India had taken a strong stand for free and fair internet access, which will continue, Prasad said.
“Without getting into the nuances of net neutrality, I can say that India has taken anew position on it and right of access is very important,” he said. India took a tough call against zero-rated plans such as Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero last year. Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe told the conference that net neutrality must be ensured because it lowers entry barriers, especially for the underprivileged. He added there is a need to strike a balance between free flow of information and individual freedom — a sentiment echoed by both Modi and Prasad.
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