G20 Conference: Terrorists Using Dark Net To Spread Radical Material, Warns Amit Shah

Gurugram: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday raised concern about terrorists using the dark net to hide their identity and spread radical material.

Addressing the inaugural session of the G-20 Conference on Crime & Security in the Age of NFTs, AI & Metaverse here on Thursday, Shah warned of cyber-attack threats hovering over all major economies of the world with “many countries” already being victims of it, reported Reuters.

“Terrorists are using the dark net to hide their identity and spread radical material, and we have to understand the pattern of these activities running on the dark net and find solutions for the same,: Shah said.

“The Metaverse, once a science fiction idea, has now stepped into the real world, and may create new opportunities for terrorist organisations for propaganda, recruitment and training.

“This will make it easier for terrorist organisations to select and target vulnerable people and prepare material according to their vulnerabilities,” Shah observed.

“The metaverse also creates opportunities for true imitation of a user’s identity, known as ‘deep-fakes’. Using better biometric information about individuals, criminals will be able to impersonate users and steal their identities,” Shah said.

He pointed out that incidents ranging from ransomware attacks, sale of critical personal data, online harassment and child abuse to fake news and misinformation campaigns with toolkits are being carried out by cybercriminals.

“There is also a growing tendency to strategically target critical information and financial systems,” he remarked.

“Such activities are a matter of national concern, as these have a direct impact on national security, law and order, and the economy. If such crimes and criminals have to be stopped, then we have to think and also act by rising above the conventional geographic boundaries,” said Shah.

“The targets in digital warfare are not our physical resources, but our ability to act online. Disruption of the online network even for 10 minutes can be fatal,” he remarked.

Citing World Bank estimates of cyber attacks likely to have caused losses of around $5.2 trillion to the world during the years 2019-2023, the Home minister asserted that the Indian government has worked towards outlining a uniform cyber strategy, real-time reporting of cyber-crimes, capacity building of LEAs, designing analytical tools and setting up a national network of forensic laboratories, ensuring cyber hygiene, and spreading cyber awareness to every citizen.

“The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) has been implemented in all the police stations of the country,” Shah said, adding that the Indian Cyber-Crime Coordination Centre has also been established to ensure a comprehensive response against cybercrime.