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The global race for Artificial Intelligence is heating up, and India has become one of its most important battlegrounds. Over the past few months, tech giants like OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google (Gemini), X (Grok), Meta (Llama), and Perplexity AI have stepped up their presence in the country,  not by selling their AI tools, but by offering them free or at deep discounts.

At first, it feels like a huge win for India’s digital generation. Students, professionals, and entrepreneurs today can tap into some of the world’s most powerful AI tools without paying a rupee. It feels like a digital revolution unfolding in real time. Yet, beneath this generosity lies a more complicated truth. Experts caution that this wave of “free” AI access isn’t without strings attached. This offering impacts how India handles data privacy, the fairness of competition, and the pace of the development of homegrown AI innovation that the country is focusing on. 

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The Market Strategy: Free Now, Pay Later  

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The choice of global AI companies to offer free access in India is a calculated business strategy. With one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing digital populations, India is a market no tech giant wants to miss. By giving away their AI tools for free, these firms are playing a long game:

1. Securing market share early: Flooding the market with free access helps them quickly attract millions of users before Indian startups have a chance to catch up. Recent examples are Perplexity, ChatGPT Go and Gemini AI which are offering free subscriptions to Indian users. 
2. Gathering local data: Every interaction, every prompt, question, or language pattern, helps these models learn from larger datasets to improve their product offerings in India and the rest of the world. Nothing is free in the world - as the popular saying goes, “if something is free, means you are the product. The same goes for these AI platforms: they monetise user data by analysing chats and their behaviour to refine their model and build paid products. This creates the privacy risk as India currently lacks specific laws to govern how such data is stored, processed or used for AI training. 
3. Create user dependency: Once users grow accustomed to the quality and convenience of these global models, shifting to Indian alternatives,  even when they become paid, will be difficult. This approach mirrors the “freemium” model used in other tech sectors, where users are first attracted through free access and later monetised through subscriptions or premium features, raising ethical concerns.  

Impact on Indian Users

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For most Indians, the short-term impact of free AI access feels overwhelmingly positive. Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are breaking down barriers by democratising knowledge and making advanced technology available to everyone, from students, professionals, to small businesses.  It’s changing how people learn, think and do - all without spending a single rupee.But the long-term picture isn’t quite as simple. Beneath the convenience lies a set of growing concerns:

• Data privacy risks: Many users don’t realise that their chats, prompts, or queries might be stored and used to train global AI models. Without strong data protection laws in action, sensitive Indian data could easily find its way into foreign systems.
• Overdependence on foreign technology: Once these AI tools become part of people’s daily lives, moving away from them gets harder — especially if free access later turns into paid plans or comes with restrictive conditions.
• Language and cultural bias: Most large AI models are still built mainly around English and Western data. Without enough Indian language content and cultural representation, the technology risks overlooking the very diversity that defines India

Impact on India’s AI Ecosystem  

India’s Generative AI market, valued at USD $ 1.30 billion in 2024, is projected to reach 5.40 billion by 2033. Yet, this growth story may become uneven if global players dominate early.  

Domestic AI startups face multiple hurdles — limited funding, high compute costs, and difficulty in accessing large, diverse datasets. The arrival of free, GPT-4-level models sharpens these challenges by raising user expectations and increasing customer acquisition costs.  

As AI analyst Kashyap Kompella notes, “If users can access GPT-4-level quality at zero cost, their incentive to try local models that still need refinement will be low.” This could stifle innovation at home, resulting in a shallow domestic AI ecosystem where India consumes global technology but contributes little to its creation.  

CCI’s Intervention: Guarding Fair Competition  

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has started taking note of how global AI companies are shaping India’s digital market. In a recent report, it cautioned that AI-driven pricing strategies such as offering free or heavily subsidised access could distort healthy competition and create an uneven playing field for smaller Indian developers.

The CCI’s decision to step in is both timely and necessary. Without proper oversight, such tactics could gradually push homegrown AI startups to the sidelines and allow a few foreign tech giants to gain disproportionate influence over India’s emerging AI economy.  

 What the Indian Government Should Do  

To ensure India’s AI landscape remains competitive, inclusive, and innovation-driven, the government must adopt a balanced strategy that safeguards users while empowering local developers.  

 1. Promote Fair Competition  

The government should mandate transparency in free access offers, including their duration, renewal terms, and data-use policies.  Exclusivity deals between foreign AI firms and telecom or device companies must be closely monitored to prevent monopolistic practices.  

 2. Strengthen Data Protection 

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, companies should be required to obtain explicit consent from users before using data for model training.  Encourage data localisation, ensuring that sensitive Indian data remains stored within India’s borders.  

3. Support Domestic AI Innovation  

Accelerate the implementation of the IndiaAI Mission to provide public compute infrastructure, open datasets, and research funding to local AI developers like  Sarvam AI, an Indian company chosen by the government to build the country's first homegrown large language model (LLM) under IndianAI Mission. 

4. Create an Open AI Ecosystem

India should develop national AI benchmarks to evaluate all models, foreign or domestic, on performance, fairness, and linguistic diversity. And at the same time, they have their own national data Centre to train their indigenous  AI models. 

5. Encourage Responsible Global Collaboration

Speaking at the AI Action Summit 2025, the Prime Minister highlighted that governance should go beyond managing risks and should also promote innovation for the global good. Building on this idea, India should encourage global AI companies to invest meaningfully in the country’s ecosystem through research labs, data centres, and AI education programmes. Such collaborations will ensure that these partnerships not only expand markets but also create value, jobs and knowledge within India.

Conclusion

The surge of free AI access across India represents a defining moment in the nation’s digital journey. On one hand, it’s empowering millions of people and accelerating AI awareness like never before. On the other hand, it poses serious challenges from over-reliance on foreign platforms to potential risks around data privacy and the slow growth of local innovation. India’s real test will be finding the right balance between access and autonomy, allowing global AI leaders to innovate and operate here, but within a framework that protects the interests of Indian users, startups, and data ecosystems. With strong and timely action under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, the IndiaAI Mission, and the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) active oversight, India can make sure this AI revolution isn’t just something that happens to the country, but for it. 

References

1. https://www.moneycontrol.com/artificial-intelligence/cci-study-flags-steep-barriers-for-indian-ai-startups-calls-for-open-data-and-compute-access-to-level-playing-field-article-13600606.html# 
2. https://www.imarcgroup.com/india-generative-ai-market 
3. https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/39020/Opening_Address_by_Prime_Minister_Shri_Narendra_Modi_at_the_AI_Action_Summit_Paris_February_11_2025 
4. https://m.economictimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/nasscom-planning-local-benchmarks-for-indic-ai-models/articleshow/124218208.cms 
5. https://indianexpress.com/article/business/centre-selects-start-up-sarvam-to-build-country-first-homegrown-ai-model-9967243/# 

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Introduction

Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly common and most sophisticated around the world. India's Telecom operator BSNL has allegedly suffered a data breach. Reportedly, Hackers managed to steal sensitive information of BSNL customers and the same is now available for sale on the dark web. The leaked information includes names email addresses billing details contact numbers and outgoing call records of BSNL customers victims include both BSNL fibre and landline users. The threat actor using Querel has released a sample data set on a dark web forum and the data set contains 32,000 lines of leaked information the threat actor has claimed that the total number of lines across all databases amounts to approximately 2.9 Million. 

The Persistent Threat to Digital Fortresses

As we plunge into the abyssal planes of the internet, where the shadowy tendrils of cyberspace stretch out like the countless arms of some digital leviathan, we find ourselves facing a stark and chilling revelation. At its murky depths lurks the dark web, a term that brings forth images of a clandestine digital netherworld where anonymity reigns supreme and the conventional rules of law struggle to cast their net. It is here, in this murky digital landscape, where the latest trophy of cyber larceny has been flagrantly displayed — the plundered data of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), India's state-owned telecommunications colossus.

This latest breach serves not simply as a singular incident in the tapestry of cyber incursions but as a profound reminder of the enduring fragility of our digital bastions against the onslaught wielded by the ever-belligerent adversaries in cyberspace.

The Breach 

Tracing the genesis of this worrisome event, we find a disconcerting story unfold. It began to surface when a threat actor, shrouded in the mystique of the digital shadows and brandishing the enigmatic alias 'Perell,' announced their triumph on the dark web. This self-styled cyber gladiator took to the encrypted recesses of this hidden domain with bravado, professing to have extracted 'critical information' from the inner sanctum of BSNL's voluminous databases. It is from these very vaults that the most sensitive details of the company's fibre network and landline customers originate.

A portion of the looted data, a mere fragment of a more extensive and damning corpus, was brandished like a nefariously obtained banner for all to see on the dark web. It was an ostentatious display, a teaser intended to tantalize and terrify — approximately 32,000 lines of data, a hint of the reportedly vast 2.9 million lines of data that 'Perell' claimed to have sequestered in their digital domain. The significance of this compromised information cannot be overstated; it is not mere bytes and bits strewn about in the cyber-wind. It constitutes the very essence of countless individuals, an amalgamation of email addresses, billing histories, contact numbers, and a myriad of other intimate details that, if weaponized, could set the stage for heinous acts of identity theft, insidious financial fraud, and precisely sculpted phishing schemes.

Ramifications 

The ramifications of such a breach extend far beyond individual concerns of privacy invasion. This event signifies an alarming clarion call highlighting the susceptibility of our digital identities. In an era where the strands of our daily lives are ever more entwined with the World Wide Web, such penetrations are not merely an affront to corporate entities; they are a direct assault on the individual's inherent right to security and the implicit trust placed in the institutions that profess to shield their most private information.

Ripples of concern have emanated throughout the cybersecurity community, prompting urgent action from Cert-In, India's cyber security sentinel. Upon notification of this digital transgression, alarms were sounded, and yet, in a disconcerting turn, BSNL has remained enigmatic, adopting a silence that seems to belie the gravity of the situation. This reticence stands in contrast to the urgency for open dialogue and transparency — it is within the anvil of these principles that the foundations of trust are laid and sustained.

Conclusion

The narrative of the BSNL data breach transcends a singular tale of digital larceny or vulnerability; it unfolds as an insistent call to action, demanding a unified and proactive response to the perpetually morphing threat landscape that haunts our technologically dependent world. It is an uncomfortable reminder that in the intricately woven web of our online existence, we each stand as potential targets with our personal data held precariously as the coveted prize for those shadow-walkers and data marauders who dwell in the secretive realms of the internet's darkest corners.

References 

• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/sensitive-user-info-hawked-on-dark-web-post-bsnl-data-breach/articleshow/106190922.cms
• https://www.business-standard.com/companies/news/threat-actor-breaches-bsnl-server-database-puts-up-dataset-on-dark-web-123122200310_1.html

Introduction

In the face of escalating cybercrimes in India, criminals are adopting increasingly inventive methods to deceive victims. Imagine opening your phone to the notification of an incoming message from a stranger with a friendly introduction - a beginning that appears harmless, but is the beginning of an awful financial nightmare. "Pig Butchering '' scam—an increasingly sophisticated form of deception that's gaining more widespread popularity. Unlike any other scams, this one plays a long game, spinning a web of trust before it strikes. It's a modern-day financial thriller happening in the real world, with real victims. "pig butchering" scam, involves building trust through fake profiles and manipulating victims emotionally to extort money. The scale of such scams has raised concerns, emphasising the need for awareness and vigilance in the face of evolving cyber threats.

How does 'Pig Butchering' Scam Work? 

At its core, the scam starts innocuously, often with a stranger reaching out via text, social media, or apps like WhatsApp or WeChat. The scammer, hiding behind a well-crafted and realistic online persona, seeks to forge a connection. This could be under the pretence of friendship or romance, employing fake photos and stories to seem authentic. Gradually, the scammer builds a rapport, engaging in personal and often non-financial conversations. They may portray themselves as a widow, single parent, or even a military member to evoke empathy and trust. Over time, this connection pivots to investment opportunities, with the scammer presenting lucrative tips or suggestions in stocks or cryptocurrencies. Initially, modest investments are encouraged, and falsified returns are shown to lure in larger sums. Often, the scammer claims affiliation with a profitable financial institution or success in cryptocurrency trading. They direct victims to specific, usually fraudulent, trading platforms under their control. The scam reaches its peak when significant investments are made, only for the scammer to manipulate the situation, block access to the trading platform, or vanish, leaving the victim with substantial losses. 

Real-Life Examples and Global Reach

These scams are not confined to one region. In India, for instance, scammers use emotional manipulation, often starting with a WhatsApp message from an unknown, attractive individual. They pose as professionals offering part-time jobs, leading victims through tasks that escalate in investment and complexity. These usually culminate in cryptocurrency investments, with victims unable to withdraw their funds, the money often traced to accounts in Dubai. 

In the West, several cases highlight the scam's emotional and financial toll: A Michigan woman was lured by an online boyfriend claiming to make money from gold trading. She invested through a fake brokerage, losing money while being emotionally entangled. A Canadian man named Sajid Ikram lost nearly $400,000 in a similar scam, initially misled by a small successful withdrawal. In California, a man lost $440,000, succumbing to pressure to invest more, including retirement savings and borrowed money. A Maryland victim faced continuous demands from scammers, losing almost $1.4 million in hopes of recovering previous losses. A notable case involved US authorities seizing about $9 million in cryptocurrency linked to a global pig butchering scam, showcasing its extensive reach. 

Safeguarding Against Such Scams 

Vigilance is crucial to prevent falling victim to these scams. Be skeptical of unsolicited contacts and wary of investment advice from strangers. Conduct thorough research before any financial engagement, particularly on unfamiliar platforms. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center warns of red flags like sudden large virtual currency transactions, interest in high-return investments mentioned by new online contacts, and atypical customer behaviour. 

Victims should report incidents to various Indian and foreign websites and the Securities Exchange Commission. Financial institutions are advised to report suspicious activities related to these scams. In essence, the pig butchering scam is a cunning blend of emotional manipulation and financial fraud. Staying informed and cautious is key to avoiding these sophisticated traps.

Conclusion

The Pig Butchering Scams are one of the many new breeds of emerging cyber scams that have become a bone of contention for cyber security organisations. It is imperative for netizens to stay vigilant and well-informed about the dynamics of cyberspace and emerging cyber crimes. 

References 

1. https://www.sentinelassam.com/more-news/national-news/from-impersonating-cbi-officers-to-pig-butchering-cyber-criminals-get-creative
2. https://hiindia.com/from-impersonating-cbi-officers-to-pig-butchering-cyber-criminals-get-creative/

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