November 23, 2013
NEW DELHI: Intelligence Bureau chief Syed Asif Ibrahim on Saturday conceded that Indian security agencies were handicapped by technical and procedural constraints in regulating malicious content on the internet, and favored foreign content providers to be brought within the ambit of Indian laws.
November 23, 2013
NEW DELHI: Intelligence Bureau chief Syed Asif Ibrahim on Saturday conceded that Indian security agencies were handicapped by technical and procedural constraints in regulating malicious content on the internet, and favored foreign content providers to be brought within the ambit of Indian laws.
Most of the social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have their servers based in the the US.
Speaking about the deliberations during the three-day DGP conference here, which comprised a dedicated session on social media and law enforcement, Ibrahim said: "It was noticed that while security agencies in India are handicapped with technical and procedural constraints (in filtering malicious posts on social media), foreign law enforcement agencies have unfettered access to social media, considerably enhancing their law enforcement capabilities".
Acknowledging that the legal framework in this regard was still evolving in India, the IB chief said the DGP conference had recommended governing of foreign content by Indian laws, "supplemented with creation of our own cyber sub-space".
Most of the social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have their servers based in the the US. Indian law enforcement agencies often complain about lack of cooperation on part of these websites in blocking malicious posts. The argument cited by them is that they are bound only by laws of the country where their host servers are located. It usually takes a due order from an Indian court to get these foreign internet giants to pull down objectionable content visible in India.
Ibrahim, in his address on the concluding day of the DGP meet, said the recent revelations regarding extensive surveillance infrastructure in cyberspace had generated public interest and debate about various issues related to cyberspace. "The conference deliberated on the vulnerabilities in cyberspace and steps being taken to secure our systems. The need to surmount challenges by constant up gradation in technology and human resources through in-house efforts was stressed upon," he told the police chiefs.
Ibrahim said the meet had emphasized upon the use indigenously developed hardware, data encryption technology and communication platforms available in both public and private domains.
Bringing up the targeted attacks in security forces and ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir this year, the IB chief said Lashker-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were hitting forces to draw a disproportionate response that would fuel public agitations. However, lack of public support ensured that such efforts and similar agitations by separatist elements found little traction on the ground, he noted.
On the terror front, Ibrahim said Indian Mujahideen continued efforts to launch terror attacks at the behest of its mentors based in Pakistan. "The group suffered following the arrest of its important leaders, and efforts continue to further degrade its operational capabilities," he said.
Talking of the counter-Naxal strategies, Ibrahim said the intention was to expand political and developmental space by dismantling the Maoist strongholds in south Chhattisgarh. "Developmental hubs with government offices around police stations will be set up. These hubs will serve as effective catalysts for improving communications and accessibility in interior areas," he said.
To tackle insurgency in the north-east, the top sleuth stressed upon the need to break the vicious cycle of extortion, leading to acquiring of weapons, violation of ceasefire ground rules and militants taking refuge in the neighboring countries.
Commending the supreme sacrifices by the police forces, Ibrahim said 579 police personnel had laid down their lives this year in the line of duty. At the same time, he praised the restraint shown by the forces in J&K in handling protests following the hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal, recalling that it resulted in just three deaths as against 113 fatal casualties recorded during the public agitation over the Amarnath land row issue in 2010.
Courtesy: TNN
