Post Session Report on Universal Acceptance and Multilingual Internet at BIT University under CyberPeace Center of Excellence (CCoE)

Introduction

In the boundless world of the internet—a digital frontier rife with both the promise of connectivity and the peril of deception—a new spectre stealthily traverses the electronic pathways, casting a shadow of fear and uncertainty. This insidious entity, cloaked in the mantle of supposed authority, preys upon the unsuspecting populace navigating the virtual expanse. And in the heart of India's vibrant tapestry of diverse cultures and ceaseless activity, Mumbai stands out—a sprawling metropolis of dreams and dynamism, yet also the stage for a chilling saga, a cyber charade of foul play and fraud.

The city's relentless buzz and hum were punctuated by a harrowing tale that unwound within the unassuming confines of a Kharghar residence, where a 46-year-old individual's brush with this digital demon would unfold. His typical day veered into the remarkable as his laptop screen lit up with an ominous pop-up, infusing his routine with shock and dread. This deceiving popup, masquerading as an official communication from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), demanded an exorbitant fine of Rs 33,850 for ostensibly browsing adult content—an offence he had not committed.

The Cyber Deception

This tale of deceit and psychological warfare is not unique, nor is it the first of its kind. It finds echoes in the tragic narrative that unfurled in September 2023, far south in the verdant land of Kerala, where a young life was tragically cut short. A 17-year-old boy from Kozhikode, caught in the snare of similar fraudulent claims of NCRB admonishment, was driven to the extreme despair of taking his own life after being coerced to dispense Rs 30,000 for visiting an unauthorised website, as the pop-up falsely alleged.

Sewn with a seam of dread and finesse, the pop-up which appeared in another recent case from Navi Mumbai, highlights the virtual tapestry of psychological manipulation, woven with threatening threads designed to entrap and frighten. In this recent incident a 46-year-old Kharghar resident was left in shock when he got a pop-up on a laptop screen warning him to pay Rs 33,850 fine for surfing a porn website. This message appeared from fake website of NCRB created to dupe people. Pronouncing that the user has engaged in browsing the Internet for some activities, it delivers an ultimatum: Pay the fine within six hours, or face the critical implications of a criminal case. The panacea it offers is simple—settle the demanded amount and the shackles on the browser shall be lifted.

It was amidst this web of lies that the man from Kharghar found himself entangled. The story, as retold by his brother, an IT professional, reveals the close brush with disaster that was narrowly averted. His brother's panicked call, and the rush of relief upon realising the scam, underscores the ruthless efficiency of these cyber predators. They leverage sophisticated deceptive tactics, even specifying convenient online payment methods to ensnare their prey into swift compliance.

A glimmer of reason pierced through the narrative as Maharashtra State cyber cell special inspector general Yashasvi Yadav illuminated the fraudulent nature of such claims. With authoritative clarity, he revealed that no legitimate government agency would solicit fines in such an underhanded fashion. Rather, official procedures involve FIRs or court trials—a structured route distant from the scaremongering of these online hoaxes.

Expert Take

Concurring with this perspective, cyber experts facsimiles. By tapping into primal fears and conjuring up grave consequences, the fraudsters follow a time-worn strategy, cloaking their ill intentions in the guise of governmental or legal authority—a phantasm of legitimacy that prompts hasty financial decisions.

To pierce the veil of this deception, D. Sivanandhan, the former Mumbai police commissioner, categorically denounced the absurdity of the hoax. With a voice tinged by experience and authority, he made it abundantly clear that the NCRB's role did not encompass the imposition of fines without due process of law—a cornerstone of justice grossly misrepresented by the scam's premise.

New Lesson 

This scam, a devilish masquerade given weight by deceit, might surge with the pretence of novelty, but its underpinnings are far from new. The manufactured pop-ups that propagate across corners of the internet issue fabricated pronouncements, feigned lockdowns of browsers, and the spectre of being implicated in taboo behaviours. The elaborate ruse doesn't halt at mere declarations; it painstakingly fabricates a semblance of procedural legitimacy by preemptively setting penalties and detailing methods for immediate financial redress.

Yet another dimension of the scam further bolsters the illusion—the ominous ticking clock set for payment, endowing the fraud with an urgency that can disorient and push victims towards rash action. With a spurious 'Payment Details' section, complete with options to pay through widely accepted credit networks like Visa or MasterCard, the sham dangles the false promise of restored access, should the victim acquiesce to their demands.

Conclusion 

In an era where the demarcation between illusion and reality is nebulous, the impetus for individual vigilance and scepticism is ever-critical. The collective consciousness, the shared responsibility we hold as inhabitants of the digital domain, becomes paramount to withstand the temptation of fear-inducing claims and to dispel the shadows cast by digital deception. It is only through informed caution, critical scrutiny, and a steadfast refusal to capitulate to intimidation that we may successfully unmask these virtual masquerades and safeguard the integrity of our digital existence.

References:

• https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2023/09/29/kozhikode-boy-dies-by-suicide-after-online-fraud-threatens-him-for-visiting-unauthorised-website.html
• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/pay-rs-33-8k-fine-for-surfing-porn-warns-fake-ncrb-pop-up-on-screen/articleshow/106610006.cms
• https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/people-who-watch-porn-receiving-a-warning-pop-up-do-not-pay-it-is-a-scam-1903829-2022-01-24

Overview of the India-UK Joint Tech Security Initiative

India and the UK have been deepening their technological and security ties through various initiatives and agreements. One of the key developments in this partnership is the India-UK Joint Tech Security Initiative, which focuses on enhancing collaboration in areas like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI),telecommunications, and critical technologies. Building upon the bilateral cooperation agenda set out in the India-UK Roadmap 2030, which seeks to bolster cooperation across various sectors, including trade, climate change, antidefense, the UK and India launched the Joint Tech Security Initiative (TSI) on July 24, 2024. This initiative will priorities collaboration in critical and emerging technologies across priority sectors. Coordinating with the national security agencies of both countries, the TSI will set priority areas and identify interdependencies for cooperation on critical and emerging technologies. This, in turn, will help build meaningful technology value chain partnerships between India & the UK.

The TSI will be coordinated by the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of both countries through existing and new dialogues. The NSAswill set priority areas and identify interdependencies for cooperation on critical and emerging tech, helping build meaningful technology value chain partnerships between the two countries. Progress made on the initiative will be reviewed on a half-yearly basis at the Deputy NSA level. A bilateral mechanism will be established led by India's Ministry of External Affairs and the UK government for promotion of trade in critical and emerging technologies, including resolution of relevant licensing or regulatory issues. Both countries view this TSI as a platform and a strong signal of intent to build and grow sustainable and tangible partnerships across priority tech sectors. They will explore how to build a deeper strategic partnership between UK and Indian research and technology centres and Incubators, enhance cooperation across UK and India tech and innovation ecosystems, and create a channel for industry and academia to help shape the TSI.

The UK and India are launching new bilateral initiatives to expand and deepen their technology security partnership. These initiatives will focus on various domains, including telecoms, critical minerals, semiconductors, and energy security.

In telecoms, the UK and India will build a new Future Telecoms Partnership, focusing on joint research on future telecoms, open RAN systems, testbed linkups, telecoms security, spectrum innovation, software and systems architecture. This will include collaboration between UK's SONIC Labs, India's Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), and Dot's Telecoms Startup Mission.

In critical minerals, the UK and India will expand their collaboration on critical minerals, working together to improve supply chain resilience, explore possible research and development and technology partnerships along the complete critical minerals value chain, and share best practices on ESG standards. They will establish a roadmap for cooperation and establish a UK-India ‘critical minerals’ community of academics, innovators, and industry.

Key Areas of Collaboration:

• Strengthening cybersecurity defense and enhancing resilience through joint cybersecurity exercises and information-sharing and developing common standards and best practices while collaborating with their respective organisations, ie, CERT-In and NCSC.
• Promotion of ethical AI development and deployment with AI ethics guidelines and frameworks, and efforts encouraging academic collaborations. Support for new partnerships between UK and Indian research organizations alongside existing joint programmes using AI to tackle global challenges.
• Building secure and resilient telecom infrastructure with a focus on security and exchange of expertise and regulatory cooperation. Collaboration on Open Radio Access Networks tech to name as an example.
• Critical and emerging technologies development by advancing research and innovation in the quantum, semiconductors and biotechnology niches. Promoting and investing in tech startups and innovation ecosystems. Engaging in policy dialogues on tech governance and standards.
• Digital economy and trade facilitation to promote economic growth by enhancing frameworks and agreements for it. Collaborating on digital payment systems and fintech solutions and most importantly promoting data protection and privacy standards.

Outlook and Impact on the Industry

The initiative sets out a new approach for how the UK and India work together on the defining technologies of this decade. These include areas such as telecoms, critical minerals, AI, quantum, health/biotechnology, advanced materials and semiconductors. While the initiative looks promising, several challenges need to be addressed such as the need to put robust regulatory frameworks in place, and develop a balanced approach for data privacy and information exchange in the cross-border data flows. It is imperative to install mechanisms that ensure that intellectual property is protected while the facilitation of technology transfer is not hampered. Above all, geopolitical risks need to be navigated in a manner that the tensions are reduced and a stable partnership grows. The Initiative builds on a series of partnerships between India and the UK, as well as between industry and academia.  Abilateral mechanism, led by India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the UK government, will promote trade in critical and emerging technologies, including the resolution of relevant licensing or regulatory issues.

Conclusion

This initiative, at its core, will drive forward a bilateral partnership that is framed on boosting economic growth and deepening cooperation across key issues including trade, technology, education, culture and climate.  By combining their strengths, the UK and India are poised to create a robust framework for technological innovation and security that could serve as a model for international cooperation in tech.

References

• https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-uk-launch-joint-tech-security-initiative-101721876539784.html
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-india-technology-security-initiative-factsheet/uk-india-technology-security-initiative-factsheet
• https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/india-uk-unveil-futuristic-technology-security-initiative-to-seal-fta-soon-124072500014_1.htm
• https://bharatshakti.in/india-uk-technology-security-initiative/

Introduction

So it's that time of year when you feel bright and excited to start the year with new resolutions; your goals could be anything from going to the gym to learning new skills and being productive this year, but with cybercrime on the rise, you must also be smart and take your New Year Cyber Resolutions seriously. Yes, you heard it right: it's a new year, a new you, but the same hackers with advanced dangers. It's time to make a cyber resolution this year to be secure, smart, and follow the best cyber safety tips for 2K25 and beyond.

Best Cyber Security Tips For You 

So while taking your cyber resolutions this 2k25, remember that hackers have resolutions too; so you have to make yours better! CyberPeace has curated a list of great tips and cyber hygiene practices you must practice in 2025:

• Be Aware Of Your Digital Rights: Netizens should be aware of their rights in the digital space. It's important to know where to report issues, how to raise concerns with platforms, and what rights are available to you under applicable IT and Data Protection laws. And as we often say, sharing is caring, so make sure to discuss and share your knowledge of digital rights with your family, peers, and circle. Not only will this help raise awareness, but you’ll also learn from their experiences, collectively empowering yourselves. After all, a well-informed online community is a happy one.
• Awareness Is Your First Line Of Defence: Awareness serves as the first line of defence, especially in light of the lessons learned from 2024, where new forms of cybercrimes have emerged with serious consequences. Scams like digital arrests, romance frauds, lottery scams, and investment scams have become more prevalent. As we move into 2025, remember that sophisticated cyber scams require equally advanced strategies to stay protected. As cybercrimes evolve and become more complex, it's crucial to stay updated with specific strategies and hygiene tips to defend yourself. Build your first line of defence by being aware of these growing scams, and say goodbye to the manipulative tactics used by cyber crooks.
• Customise Social Media Media Profile And Privacy Settings: With the rising misuse of advanced technologies such as deepfake, it’s crucial to share access to your profile only with people you trust and know. Customize your social media profile settings based on your convenience, such as who can add you, who can see your uploaded pictures and stories, and who can comment on your posts. Tailor these settings to suit your needs and preferences, ensuring a safer digital environment for yourself.
• Be Cautious: Choose wisely, just because an online deal seems exciting doesn’t mean it’s legitimate. A single click could have devastating consequences. Not every link leads to a secure website; it could be a malware or phishing attempt. Be cautious and follow basic cyber hygiene tips, such as only visiting websites with a padlock symbol, a secure connection, and the 'HTTPS' status in the URL. 
• Don’t Let Fake News Fake You Out: Online misinformation and disinformation have sparked serious concern due to their widespread proliferation. That’s why it’s crucial to 'Spot The Lies Before They Spot You.' Exercise due care and caution when consuming, sharing, or forwarding any online information. Always verify it from trusted sources, recognize the red flags of misleading claims, and contribute to creating a truthful online information landscape.
• Turn the Tables on Cybercriminals: It is crucial to know the proper reporting channels for cybercrimes, including specific reporting methods based on the type of issue. For example, ‘unsolicited commercial communications’ can be reported on the Chakshu portal by the government. Unauthorized electronic transactions can be reported to the RBI toll-free number at 14440, while women can report incidents to the National Commission for Women. If you encounter issues on a platform, you can reach out to the platform's grievance officer. All types of cybercrimes can be reported through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) and the helpline at 1930. It’s essential to be aware of the right authorities and reporting mechanisms, so if something goes wrong in your digital experience, you can take action, turn the tables on cybercrooks, and stay informed about official grievances and reporting channels.
• Log Out, Chill Out: The increased use of technology can have far-reaching consequences that are often overlooked, such as procrastination, stress, anxiety, and eye strain (also known as digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome). Sometimes, it’s essential to switch off the digital curtains. This is where a ‘Digital Detox’ comes in, offering a chance to recharge and reset. We’re all aware of how our devices and phones influence our daily lives, shaping our behaviours, decisions, and lifestyles from morning until night, even impacting our sleep. Taking time to unplug can provide a much-needed psychological and physical boost. Practicing a digital detox at regular suitable intervals, such as twice a month, can help restore balance, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being.

Final Words & the Idea of ‘Tech for Good’

Remember that we are in the technological era, and these technologies are created for our ease and convenience. There are certain challenges that bad actors pose, but to counter this,  the change starts from you. Remember that technology, while having its risks, also brings tremendous benefits to society. We encourage you to take a step and encourage the responsible and ethical use of the technology. The vision for ‘Tech for Good’ will have to be expanded to a larger picture. Do not engage in a behaviour that you would not ordinarily do in an offline environment, the online environment is also the same and has far-reaching effects. Use technology for good, and follow and encourage ethical and responsible behaviour in online communities. The emphasis should be on using technology in a safer environment for everyone and combatting dishonest practices. 

The effective strategies for preventing cybercrime and dishonest practices requires cooperation , efforts by citizens, government agencies, and technology businesses. We intend to employ technology's good aspects to build a digital environment that values security, honesty, and moral behaviour while promoting innovation and connectedness. In 2025, together we can make a cyber safe resilient society.

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