IANS
New Delhi, Nov 23: Noting that cyber attacks are a significant threat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said it must be ensured that digital space does not become a playground for forces of terror and radicalisation.
“The quest for an open and accessible Internet often leads to vulnerability. Stories of hacking and defacement of websites are the tip of an iceberg. They suggest that cyber attacks are a significant threat, especially in the democratic world,” he said while inaugurating the fifth edition of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS).
In identical remarks, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said radical elements and terrorists are abusing social media platforms for perpetuating hate and terror but India is determined to address the misuse of cyber space and thwart them.
“The world needs to come together to address the misuse and abuse of cyber space by terrorists and hackers,” he added.
“Misuse of Internet for child pornography is posing grave threat to childhood. Financial frauds and cyber attacks can eliminate the trust of ordinary citizens in cyber space. Therefore, we all need to speak in one voice against cyber crimes,” Prasad stressed.
The Prime Minister said three factors – financial inclusion through our Jan-Dhan bank accounts; the Aadhaar platform; and the Mobile phone – have greatly helped reduce corruption.
“We call this the J.A.M. or JAM trinity. Through better targeting of subsidies, the JAM trinity has prevented leakages to the tune of nearly $10 billion so far.”
Modi said that one of the major focus areas should be the training of well equipped and capable professionals to counter cyber threats.
The theme of the two-day GCCS conference is “Cyber4All: A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development”.
The Prime Minister Thursday launched the Unified Mobile Application For New-age Governance (UMANG) Mobile App, which will provide over a hundred citizen-centric services.
Incepted in 2011 in London, the second GCCS was held in 2012 in Budapest. The third and fourth GCCS were held in 2013 in Seoul and in 2015 in The Hague.
Thousands of delegates from 131 countries and ministers from 26 countries are in the capital to attend the two-day event. There was also virtual participation from over 2,800 locations globally.
