India’s position regarding cyber security and privacy protection has been exposed due to recent negative developments that have severely affected the rights of Indian citizens. It has now become very clear that India is a sitting duck in both the fields of civil liberties protections and cyber security. It has also been well understood by Indian citizens that privacy rights in India is not charity but a constitutional right. As a result it would be next to impossible for the Modi government to fool Indian citizens anymore in this regard.
Cyber security in India is an alien concept for Indian government for long. Even the Modi government is currently not in a position to tackle the cyber security challenges of India with its current approach and policies. Anybody can target India for various forms of cyber attacks and cyber crimes and India has become a land of no resistance for the crackers.
According to Praveen Dalal, managing partner of New Delhi based ICT law firm Perry4Law and CEO of Perry4Law’s Techno Legal Base (PTLB), India is a Sitting Duck in the Cyberspace and Civil Liberties Protection Regime. Malware like Stuxnet, Duqu, Flame, Uroburos/Snake, Blackshades, FinFisher, Gameover Zeus (GOZ), etc cannot be tackled by India due to lack of Offensive and Defensive Cyber Security Capabilities in India. Cyber Security Breaches are increasing World over and India must be “Cyber Prepared” to deal with the same. The Cyber Security Challenges before the Narendra Modi Government are not easy to manage and Indian Cyberspace must be protected on a “Priority Basis”.
Whether it is Congress government or Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, none of them have done anything significant in the directions of ensuring effective cyber security laws and privacy laws in India. For instance, the Modi government has done nothing except summoning of few officials of United States for blatant violation of privacy rights of Indians and invading Indian cyberspace.
According to Dalal “We cannot “Enact Laws” but we can use “Counter Technologies” to prevent Illegal and Unconstitutional E-Surveillance and Eavesdropping. Self Defence and Privacy Protection in India must be ensured by us at our own levels. The initiatives titled PRISM Break and Reset the Net are the “Starting Point” in this regard”. If Modi government fails to safeguard privacy rights in the information era, self defence seems to be the only available option for Indian citizens.
Cyber security in India has always remained an ignored world whether it is Congress or BJP govt. Neither Congress nor BJP has the vision to ensure a safe and robust cyber security in India and till October 2022 the position of Indian cyber security is very bad.
In 2012, Visionary Praveen Dalal suggested many far reaching and reformative cyber security measures but both Congress and BJP failed to act upon them. One of the suggestions of Visionary Praveen Dalal in 2012 was that Offensive And Defensive Cyber Security Capabilities Of India must be developed as soon as possible. However, even in October 2022 that has remained a distant dream.
Even Cyber Warfare against India and its defenses have remained an illusive dream and till October 2022 India is a sitting duck in cyber security field. India has focused upon illegal and unconstitutional e-surveillance instead of strengthening of Rule of Law, Privacy, Civil Liberties in Cyberspace and cyber security. As a result, India is facing tremendous cyber attacks and cyber crimes in the year 2022.
In the year 2014, Visionary Praveen Dalal brought to the attention of Modi Govt the challenges of cyber security but it failed to act upon them even in October 2022. Now Indians are bearing the consequences of the same and cyber crimes, cyber frauds and digital payment related crimes have increased significantly in India. This all is well attitude of Indian govt is not good for the national interests of India and that is why we have ensured a robust and effective cyber crimes reporting system in India.
So bad is the situation that even cyber security breach reporting in India has failed to take off since 2014. Except chasing away cryptocurrencies and VPN service providers from India, this norm has not done anything. MSMEs and small companies in India openly declared that they would not comply with such rules and this forced the govt to further extend the deadline. So one can simply refuse to comply with cyber security related norms and Indian govt cannot do anything in this regard.
To develop robust Offensive and Defensive Cyber Security Capabilities of India, we need a 360 degree view of the cyber security landscape of India says Visionary Praveen Dalal. But what we have is lack of political will, unwillingness of stakeholders to ensure cyber security and lack of cyber law and cyber security skills in India. We at Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) and PTLB have been working on all these aspects and techno legal online skills development from K12 to lifelong learning stages in one of our priority areas.
For instance, Streami Virtual School is the only school of the world that is teaching cyber law and cyber security to school students. Streami Virtual School is the first virtual school of India and first techno legal virtual school of the world. This is the approach that we need for India but political parties like Congress, BJP, AAP, etc are engaging in rhetoric and drama instead of actually working upon reforming education and ensuring skills development of Indians.
Till we have a capable govt and capable and skilled workforce, ensuring offensive and defensive cyber security capabilities of India is not possible. We at P4LO and PTLB have done our part and now those stakeholders who believe in same cause must do their part.
This article was written by Visionary Praveen Dalal in 2014 making PM Modi aware of the dire need to ensure robust and resilient cyber law, cyber security and national security of India. But till September 2022 nothing has been done by Modi govt in this regard. This article has been reposted here with permission so that students of Streami Virtual School can understand and learn about Indian cyber law and cyber security conditions.
As Mr. Narendra Modi is all set to swear to the post of Prime Minister of India he has to face unlimited challenges that have accumulated over a period of time. Thanks to our bureaucratic set up and all pervasive corruption, public reforms have always been kept at bay. There was no dearth of money and skilled people to accomplish the projected targets but still a dominant majority of projects in the last decade have failed to materialise.
Now that Mr. Modi has asked for a brief but accurate report and analysis of the situation, our bureaucrats are sweating and are in high stress. Even if they may somehow justify their non action and national reforms massacre still they would not be in a position to accomplish the mammoth tasks that have yet to be achieved. Decades of corrupt practices, incompetencies and indifference cannot be defeated in few years especially by retaining the same bureaucratic and ministerial structure.
Although there are hundreds of issues of national importance yet I would like to confine myself to a single issue that is closely and intrinsically related to our national security. The issue that I am talking about is the cyber security of India that is in a really bad shape. For decades our bureaucrats and Indian government did not consider cyber security as an essential part of national security policy of India. As a result cyber security has been grossly neglected and this has created a situation of high alert.
Even on the legislation front, India has failed to do the needful. For instance, we need to repeal the laws like Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act 2000), Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, etc but for some strange reasons our bureaucrats and Indian government kept them intact. I have been suggesting this recourse for the past five years but till now nothing concrete has happened in this regard. Similarly, crucial laws are absent from Indian statute books. These include law regarding privacy, data protection, telecom security, encryption, cloud computing, etc.
Mr. Modi would be required to not only overhaul his cabinet structure but also cleanse the bureaucratic circles that have been plaguing Indian reforms. Bureaucrats and politicians with clean image, hard working reputation and reforms oriented approach must alone be part and parcel of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that may emerge as a “centralised national reforms point” of India. The approach regarding the proposed PMO is much required as that may be a game changer for India.
The previous PMO of India has already sanctioned a plan to spend 1,000 crore over the next four years to strengthen the cyber security capabilities of India. All Mr. Modi has to do is to make it sure that this may not be another proposal with no actual implementation. It must also be ensured that the allocated money is not only utilised but corrupt practices must also not take place while executing the cyber security project.
Obviously India needs to establish both offensive and defensive cyber security capabilities. This is important to protect the critical infrastructures of India that are dependent upon information technology. A cyber warfare policy of India must also be formulated as Malware like Stuxnet, Duqu, Flame, Uroburos/Snake, Blackshades, FinFisher, etc are far beyond the reach of present cyber security mechanisms. These Malware are stealth in nature and till the time they are discovered the damage is already done.
Skilled workforce is also need of the hour and for this purpose cyber security courses must be introduced at the university level. Online education must be encouraged so that online cyber security courses can be imparted in India.
In short, the cyber security challenges before the Modi Government are institutional, skills driven, time sensitive and urgent in nature. We have already delayed strengthening of our cyber security capabilities and any further delay should not be tolerated by him.
In May 2014, Praveen Dalal, CEO of Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO), PTLB and PTLITC, warned about poor cyber law and cyber security conditions in India. But till September 2022 nothing has been done by Modi govt in this regard, except empty promises.
Cyber security in India is in a poor condition even in September 2022. Cyber security of banks in India is also required to be strengthened. The banks operating in India are not at all serious about maintaining cyber security of banking related transactions and this is resulting in many cyber and financial crimes in India. In the absence of appropriate skills development and modernisation of law enforcement agencies of India, police force are finding it really difficult to solve technology related crimes. Further, cyber security of sensitive databases would also require strong privacy protection and cyber security compliance.
Another problematic area is absence of an implementable telecom security policy of India. Most of the policies and regulations in this regard are clearly unconstitutional in nature as they are neither balanced nor in compliance with the constitutional requirements. Experts believe that the stand of Modi government regarding e-surveillance projects like Central Monitoring System (CMS) Project of India and Internet Spy System Network and Traffic Analysis System (NETRA) of India must be made clear. Otherwise, this would create troubles for the government as well as for the telecom security policy in the near future.
In 2014, Visionary Praveen Dalal recommended:
“The cyber security challenges for the Modi government must be given due importance. Cyber security should be an essential component of the national security policy of India. The cyber security trends in India, as provided by Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) from time to time, have highlighted major shortcomings of Indian cyber security initiatives and the same must be addressed by Modi government as soon as possible. Although National Cyber Security Policy (NSCP) 2013 has been declared yet it needs both updation and implementation.”
“We need dedicated cyber security laws in India and effective cyber security policies. For instance, we have no cyber warfare policy of India and this is a major lacuna in the contemporary times. Similarly, critical infrastructure protection in India is also not up to the mark and it needs to be strengthened. Let us hope that the Modi government would do needful in this regard.”
However, nothing happened since 2014 as political aspirations are more important for Modi govt than national security and national cyber security.
But we at P4LO, PTLB and PTLITC have continued to spread awareness and created dedicated techno legal online portals so that techno legal skills in fields like cyber law, cyber security, cyber forensics, etc can be developed in India. Streami Virtual School is the first virtual school of India and first techno legal virtual school of the world. It is already developing skills of cyber law and cyber security of K12 segment. PTLB and PTLITC are managing cyber law and cyber security skills development initiatives of P4LO from K12 to lifelong learning stages.
Let us hope that Modi govt would wake up now to the dangers of technology usage and do the needful as soon as possible.
This is part of cyber law tutorial of Streami Virtual School that is posted at the Cyber Law For Kids blog of Streami Virtual School and PTLB Virtual School. See the blog for more details. Also see the YouTube channel of Streami Virtual School named Cyber Law Skills Development By Streami School.
Becoming a cyber crime victim is really frustrating as it brings additional misery of non-remedy of the same in most cases. If we exclude the low hanging fruits concept, most of the cyber crimes, especially the sophisticated ones, are next to impossible to be reported in India.
Indian govt has launched a cyber crimes reporting portal but its utility and impact is very limited. Even for simple cyber crimes, it is next to impossible to get any remedy from it. Not only it allows selective cases of complaints to be filed but even those complaints and cases are not pursued in majority of cases.
Naturally, Indians have very limited options at both judicial and legal side and that is why techno legal methods can help here. For instance, the online dispute resolution (ODR) portal of Perry4Law Organisation is the only techno legal portal of the world that is handling and resolving cyber crimes in 3 months.
So instead of wasting your time on highly bureaucratic process of Indian govt and its portals, simply file your complaint at the ODR portal of Perry4Law Organisation at ODR India Portal (odrindia.in). That way you would get a time bound remedy without the normal frustration that Indians normally face in this regard.
This is part of cyber law tutorial of Streami Virtual School that is posted at the Cyber Law For Kids blog of Streami Virtual School and PTLB Virtual School. See the blog for more details. Also see the YouTube channel of Streami Virtual School named Cyber Law Skills Development By Streami School.
Cyber crimes in India are not new. Despite having cyber law of India in the form of Information Technology Act, 2000, there is little help for Indians who have become victims of various cyber crimes.
Firstly, we have a very weak and ineffective cyber law of India that needed overhaul even in 2008. We at Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) and PTLB have repeatedly recommended enactment of a better and strong law for more than a decade but successive govts have failed to take any action in this regard.
Secondly, law enforcement agencies of India are not at all prepared to handle cyber crimes. Although we have cyber crimes cells in India, but they are totally useless. We undertook an exercise to check their readiness and capabilities, and no cyber crime cell of India was found even responsive. So cyber crime victims are on their own in India.
There is no mechanism to report cyber crimes in India as any matter that is reported at any govt portal is just a formality. No agency or govt office take any action on such complaints unless you have links and resources to pursue the same.
The cyber crime reporting portal of Indian govt is equally useless as it allows only selective filing of complaints that too without any feedback and action. All projects and initiatives of Indian govt are one way street only.
But online dispute resolution (ODR) portal of Perry4Law Organisation is resolving various cyber contraventions within 3 months of initial complaint. And ODR India Portal covers all areas unlike govt portal that only allows selective complaints.
Students of Streami Virtual School are also taught about the ODR process so that they can act as ODR experts in future and help Indians to resolve their cyber issues.
Streami Virtual School is not only the first virtual school of India but it is also the first virtual school of the world that is teaching cyber law to school students. Streami is developing techno legal skills of school students and cyber law is one of the subjects that is taught there.
The first cyber law course for school students was created by Streami Virtual School in the year 2019 and since then we are continuously updating and upgrading the same. We are in the process of upgrading and rejuvenating the websites of PTLB Virtual School and Streami Virtual School and they would be launched at appropriate time.
Keeping in mind the age and orientation for school students, we have kept our skills development course of cyber law easy to understand and implement. We are teaching school kids how to fight back online criminals and predators and how to report them to appropriate authorities for necessary action.
We are also teaching them how to manage online harassment and cyber bullying at school and other places. These acts result in serious repercussions upon the mental and physical health of children and we are helping them to handle the same in a healthy and legal manner.
We have seen positive results among children who have undergone this cyber law skills development course and they have become more mature and are now capable of better handling the dangers of online presence. We hope to do the same for other children too and very soon we would be doing so at global level.
PTLB has been managing online education in India from K12 to lifelong learning since 2007. It launched many education and skills development initiatives from time to time since 2007. From virtual schools to to virtual campuses, PTLB launched many world class online learning and skills development portals.
PTLB Schools launched the PTLB Virtual School and Streami Virtual School in the year 2019. Streami Virtual School was specifically designed to develop contemporary and futuristic techno legal skills among children. These include fields like cyber law, cyber security, cyber forensics, e-discovery, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, quantum computing, coding, etc.
That made Streami Virtual School the first Virtual school of India and the first Virtual School of the world that is imparting online techno legal skills development to global children. Recognition of Streami Virtual School is pending at the central govt (BJP) and Delhi govt (AAP) levels since March 2021.
The Virtual School models of PTLB became so popular that both BJP and AAP copied the same and used them to open their own virtual schools in August 2021 and August 2022 respectively.
We are currently in the process of upgrading the websites of PTLB Virtual Schools and Streami Virtual School and would activate the same once they are ready. However, considering the fact that central and state govt(s) are very quick to copy and use our models and ideas and label them as their own, we have to be very cautious. Till all things are sorted out, it would be prudent to not discuss and disclose anything to parties like BJP and AAP.
It is very common among govts to lack innovative ideas and their actual implementation. Private players and research organisations come to the rescue of govts around the world and Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) and PTLB have been helping successive Indians govts since 2002, directly and indirectly.
PTLB has been developing skills and imparting online training in India since 2007 and PTLB Schools is a crucial project of PTLB for K12 segment. PTLB Schools launched a Virtual School in 2019/20 and along side the same it launched a dedicated Virtual School for extensive skills development of Indian school students. It was named as STREAMI Virtual School and it applied for recognition from both central govt (BJP) and Delhi govt (AAP) in March 2021. However, neither BJP nor AAP was capable of handling such recognition request and they are still processing the same at the time of writing of this article.
But the Virtual Schools of PTLB Schools and Streami School inspired both BJP and AAP to launch a much diluted version of Streami Virtual School. BJP launched the same in August 2021 and AAP launched it in August 2022, much after Virtual Schools of PTLB Schools and Streami School were launched.
A dedicated website of Streami Virtual School was launched on 08-03-2021 and a new website is in pipeline with latest additions and features. But a Blog has been launched to spread awareness about Streami Virtual School till the time the official website is relaunched in a rejuvenated form.
Although PTLB Schools launched a Virtual School in 2019/20 yet Streami Virtual School was launched with a dedicated website and in a much organised manner in March 2021. Streami Virtual School was in existence before that but not at its own dedicated website that only took place in March 2021. Streami Virtual School had its own e-learning and online learning portal since 2019 and was managed by PTLB.
So Streami Virtual School is not only the first official Virtual School of India but also the first ever techno legal Virtual School of the world. We at PTLB are happy to shape Indian education system and more innovative solutions would be offered by us very soon.
We are inviting very selective global investors to invest in Streami Virtual School on an unconditional, pre-approved and non-stake basis with a preferential right to invest in the same in future. Let us together develop this revolutionary and historic education for all initiative of PTLB Schools.
Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) is the first and premier techno legal institution and entity of the world. It was established in the year 2002 by visionary Praveen Dalal and since then it has achieved many global milestones. As it was two decades ahead of its time, we found it very difficult to implement its objectives, goals and ideals. All govts in India have failed to realise its importance and significance since 2002 and even in 2022 techno legal projects and offerings of P4LO are like conveying Star Trek ideas to cavemen. It has been almost 2 years and both Central Govt (BJP) and Delhi Govt (AAP) are sitting upon the recognition request of Streami School. We took a break in the hope that we may have some educated and understanding politician in India, but none has surprised us so far.
Perry4Lawś Techno Legal Base (PTLB) was also established in the year 2002 to implement the techno legal projects of P4LO. It has been instrumental in managing techno legal fields of P4LO like cyber law, cyber security, cyber forensics, e-discovery, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, online education and virtual schools, etc. Streami Virtual School is one of the online schools of PTLB.
PTLB has been managing virtual campuses in India since 2007 from school level to lifelong learning stages. PTLB is also active as a digital university or virtual university for long but the time has not come for the actual use of digital universities in India till now. Even a Virtual Law Campus has been established by PTLB in the past and it is still active.
Streami Virtual School is supported by two decades of techno legal experience and expertise of P4LO and PTLB. Despite indifferent and ignorant behaviour of BJP and AAP govts, Streami School continued to innovate on various aspects of Virtual School and empowering education. Unlike govtś gimmicks and empty promises, Streami School is a strong contender for global virtual school framework. After a series of discussion and deliberations, it was decided at PTLB to launch a blog to ensure continuity, reliability, cyber security and additional measure to spread awareness about Streami School. This blog is achieving that goal and we hope both national and international education community would find it useful and take full advantage of this revolutionary global education reforms of P4LO and PTLB.
Another blog is launched for Streami Virtual School where techno legal aspects and online skills development in fields like cyber law, cyber security, artificial intelligence, machine learning, space law, etc is discussed and taught.
A dedicated blog of Cyber Law For Kids has also been launched by Streami Virtual School as Streami is the first school of the world to teach and develop skills of children in cyber law field globally.
We are accepting investment offers from very selective global investors who are willing to invest in P4LO or its startups on an unconditional, pre-approved and non stake basis. Do a thorough research and due diligence about our startups before contacting us as we would be expecting an in-principle investment approval along with your initial contact/e-mail. We have zero tolerance policy for spam or casual communications so unless you are our type of investor, it would be a bad idea to contact us to explore investment options. Be sure about your investment decision in advance and things would be pretty simple and smooth from our side.
Similarly, global collaborators having similar mindset, policies, goals and objectives can contact us for collaborations. While contacting us, clearly mention how you wish to collaborate with us. Asking us to tell you how to collaborate is naive and considered a spam communication from your side, so avoid that stupidity.
Let us together revolutionise global education from K12 to lifelong learning stages. We welcome all investors, collaborators, partners, associates, etc of Streami School in advance. See you on the board and at a wonderful journey.
The prevention of tampering of the Mobile Device Equipment Identification Number, Rules, 2017 (IMEI Rules 2017 (Pdf)) have been amended w.e.f 26-09-2022 through the prevention of tampering of the Mobile Device Equipment Identification Number (Amendment) Rules, 2022. You can see these IMEI related rules here (Pdf).
Newly inserted Rule 4(1) provides for registration of international mobile equipment identity number (IMEI Number) in India. From January 1, 2023 onwards, all mobile manufacturers in India shall register the IMEI number of every mobile phone manufactured in India with the Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction portal of the Government of India in the Department of Telecommunications prior to the first sale of the mobile phone.
Similarly, new Rule 4(2) provides that the IMEI number of the mobile phone imported in India for sale, testing, research or any other purpose shall be registered by the importer with the Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction portal of the Government of India in the Department of Telecommunications prior to import of mobile phone into the country.
Rule 4(2) has become applicable from the date of publication of these amendments in the Official Gazette, i.e. from 26-09-2022.
So mobile manufacturers in India have 3 months to comply with these IMEI Rules 2022 whereas mobile importers are already required to comply with these rules as on date.
If you need any techno legal services in this regard, feel free to contact us. You can also use our online dispute resolution (ODR) portal for online dispute resolution, TeleLaw and other techno legal services.
It was the year 2011 when Visionary Praveen Dalal provided his recommendations to Congress govt regarding cyber warfare policy and development of offensive and defensive cyber warfare capabilities by India. However, both Congress and BJP have failed to act upon cyber security of India till October 2022.
Cyber Warfare is a concept that is well known at both national and international levels. In one form or other and in lesser degree or more, Cyber Warfare has been accepted as a reality in the present Cyber World. However, Cyber Warfare concept still haunts the international community and till now we have no dedicated Legal Framework for Cyber Warfare at international level.
Till Harmonised Cyber Warfare Legal Framework emerges, piecemeal efforts would try to fill the void in this regard. Not very late NATO requested Cyber Security cooperation form India. We should not wait for others to develop our own Cyber Warfare Capabilities in India. In fact, Cyber Warfare Policy of India must be urgently formulated and immediately implemented. The same must be part and parcel of India’s National Cyber Security Policy.
Cyber Security in India needs to be strengthened keeping in mind the growing cases of Cyber Attacks and Cyber Espionage attacks against India. Even Cyber Warfare against India is well known and is not new. Ensuring 100% cyber security is next to impossible. However, we can minimise Cyber Attacks. India has remained indifferent towards Cyber Security for long. This resulted in poor Cyber Security Capabilities and Expertise. It is only now that India has paid attention to this crucial field and it is still not too late.
India should definitely step up/accelerate its efforts to strengthen Cyber Security along with Traditional National Security Capabilities. Internet and Hidden Internet has opened new frontiers and unforeseen challenges before India. Internet is increasingly been used to not only propagate Terrorism propaganda but also to recruit new Terrorists.
To tackle Terrorists’ use of Internet, International Cooperation amongst Governments, Organisations, Internet companies and telcos could be helpful. For the time being, Cyber Criminals/Terrorists are one step ahead of various Governments and International Cooperation activities.
New technologies have also caused problems for India. For instance, Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VOIP) is one of the technical challenges that Law Enforcement and Intelligence Agencies across the world are finding difficult to tackle. However, of late strong Encryption usage has emerged as more troublesome that VOIP. Further, VOIP can be intercepted in certain circumstances.
Developing of Cyber Security Capabilities and Expertise is immediately required in India. There is also an urgent need to develop both Preventive and Offensive Cyber Security Capabilities of India. The sooner it is done the better it would be for the National Security of India.
Cyber warfare is a complicated techno legal conflict of laws field that has remained unresolved for more than two decades. India lacks preventive and offensive cyber warfare capabilities despite strong recommendations in this regard by Visionary Praveen Dalal in 2011. Both Congress and BJP are responsible for this mess and negligence.
Cyber Warfare is a concept that is not clear yet. Some believe that there is nothing like Cyber Warfare as there is no involvement of traditional military actions. Others believe that Cyber Warfare is a reality of the present time and future wars would be fought in Cyberspace. Whatever the opinion may be but it is clear that Nations have to protect their Critical ICT Infrastructures and Strategic Computers from growing Cyber Attacks.
Cyber Warfare and Cyber Terrorism are issues that cannot be taken lightly by any Country. From these threats emerge the necessity of having a robust Cyber Security for Defense Forces in India. These issues are important as they strike at the very root of the Critical ICT Infrastructure Protection in India. However, India is not doing the needful in this regard. Cyber War Capabilities should be an Integral Part of Indian National Defense and Security.
India needs a sophisticated and robust Technological Command Centre to defend its global network of computer systems. It must develop both offensive and defensive capabilities under one roof. Strategic information and tactical inputs are essential part of modern warfare that can be lost or gained through Cyber War methods. There is no doubt that India needs good Cyber War Capabilities to meet the growing threats of Cyber Warfare.
Malware are posing significant threat to India yet there is no attention towards Cyber Security in India. For instance, we need Express Legal Provisions and Specified Policies to deal with issues like Denial of Service (DOS), Distributed Denial of Services (DDOS), Bots, Botnets, Trojans, Backdoors, Viruses and Worms, Sniffers, SQL Injections, Buffer Overflows Exploits, etc. Till now India has done nothing in this crucial direction and we are still waiting for the Cyber Security Policy and Strategy of India. Obviously, we have no Cyber Warfare Policy of India as well. Even the Cyber Law of India is weak and ineffective and deserves to be repealed.
The biggest hurdle before curbing Cyber Warfare Threats at the International level is Lack of Harmonisation in this regard. Till now we have no “Internationally Acceptable Definition” of Cyber Warfare. Further, we have no Universally Acceptable Cyber Crimes Treaty as well. There is also no International Cyber Security Treaty. India is not a part of any International Treaty or Conventions regarding Cyber Crimes, Cyber Security, etc.
We cannot have a Cyber Terrorism Policy in India till we have a Cyber Crimes Policy in India, Cyber Security Policy in India other similar Policies. Indian Government must urgently work in this crucial direction as it is the most urgent need of the hour.
In this interview from 2011, Visionary Praveen Dalal suggested that cyber warfare capabilities of India must be developed on priority basis. However, neither Congress nor BJP had the vision to do so and even in September 2022 this has not been done.
Cyber warfare is not a new term anymore. Although, its exact definition and scope is not clear yet none can deny the role of information warfare in the near future. Even India has also appreciated its importance. The best part is that this appreciation is coming from none other that the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Dr. Manmohan Singh has issued clear directions to National Security Council (NSC) of India to work in the direction of establishment of cyber command authority (CCA) for India. Dr. Singh has also asked for putting in place an action plan before such an authority is set up. Dr. Singh has also rightly deferred the plan to set up CCA till a thorough review of the cyber threat is done.
However, India lacks proper expertise and training to undertake such an ambitious project and establish such an authority. We have a single techno legal cyber security research, training and education centre in India (CSRTCI). Further, we also have a single techno legal cyber security training and educational centre in India managed by Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB). Now Centre Of Excellence For Cyber Security Research And Development In India (CECSRDI) is maintaining techno legal cyber security issues of global stakeholders.
According to Praveen Dalal, CEO of Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) and PTLB and Leading Techno Legal Expert of India, Cyber Warfare Capabilities have assumed tremendous importance these days. The future Cyber Warfare would be even more mysterious, anonymous and dangerous. Further, the Indian Government even need not to spend crores of cash for this purpose if it opts for “Open Source” Software, suggests Praveen Dalal.
So the matter boils down to appropriate cyber security policy and adequate techno legal training. Dr. Manmohan Singh must include as many institutions and individuals as possible so that cyber security of India may become robust and effective.
VPN service providers in India are in a tight spot as they have to face legal consequences one way or the other. If they comply with the e-surveillance demands of Indian govt, they would be liable for prosecution for violating privacy, data protection and other rights of Indians.
If they do not comply with such e-surveillance demands of Indian govt, they would be prosecuted by the govt for violating some arbitrary and unconstitutional rules framed by Indian govt. We do not have a constitutionally valid e-surveillance policy of India as on date and there is no intention of either Congress or BJP to do so as well in future.
From 26-09-2022, VPN service providers are required to comply with the data and e-surveillance related provisions of cyber law of India and rules made under it. That carries a host of complicated techno legal regulatory compliance that are not easy to manage. Add the complexities of illegalities and conflict of laws to this situation and VPN service providers in India are in serious trouble.
Many VPN service providers have already pulled physical servers from India as they consider the mandate to collect customer data violative of their privacy and data protection rights. This is a correct assessment to a great extent if the rules are implemented blindly. What VPN service providers in India need is a techno legal cyber law due diligence that can maintain a balance between rights of their customers and demands of Indian authorities.
The best option available to them is to use the online dispute resolution (ODR) portal of Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) and PTLB. The ODR Portal of India is exclusive techno legal ODR portal of the world that is helping global stakeholders to manage global regulatory and legal compliance, including those from India. This way they would be insulated from both customer and govt side litigation and legal claims as all issues would be filtered through the this ODR Portal.
CERT-In has mandated VPN service providers to collect and maintain customer information including names, email addresses, and IP addresses for at least five years, even after they have canceled their subscription or account. Besides privacy violation, it carries additional burden to ensure data security and cyber security of such data and customers. The VPN and similar businesses would cease to become profitable in India now onwards unless they are managed through a techno legal cyber law due diligence.
Both VPN service providers and their customers can also lodge a complaint or grievance at the ODR Portal of India for violation of their privacy, data security and cyber security. We would investigate the same and take up the matter with concerned authorities or courts.
Any demand for data or details from the VPN service providers of India can be shared with us for techno legal analysis and we would provide a comprehensive and holistic solution for all such demands on a case to case basis.
However, this entire situation has created a difficult situation for VPN service provider of India for another issue. Now customers would not trust them anymore for their private, confidential and sensitive information, data, documents, etc. They have legitimate fears that such VPN service providers can sell them anytime to the govt at the drop of a hat. They would not resist the illegal and unconstitutional e-surveillance demands of Indian authorities.
To be on the safer side, Indian customers must check the terms and conditions, privacy policy, etc of all VPN service providers of India very carefully. If they do not carry strong privacy and data protection mechanisms, just avoid such VPN service providers altogether. The best option is to incorporate the ODR Clause of ODR Portal Of India and consult it whenever a demand is raised by any Indian authority.
It must also be kept in mind that proposed Indian Telecommunication Act, 2022 would further make the lives of VPN service providers and their customers more miserable. This proposed law is not only creating severe conflict of laws in cyberspace but it is also enforcing e-surveillance, eavesdropping and spying capabilities of Indian govt and its agencies in an unrestricted and unreasonable manner.
While many VPN service providers have already pulled their servers from India yet other VPN companies are looking for solutions that have minimal impact on their users while also maintaining their privacy. As stated above, there is just one solution and that runs through the ODR India Portal of P4LO.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a relatively old concept and is in use for many decades. It has helped in reducing burden of courts by resolving various cases out of court. However, with passage of time, ADR has become another source of litigation and cases originating from ADR have increased tremendously.
For long some Asian countries have dominated the space of ADR and India could not perform well on this front despite a sound judicial system and qualified lawyers and Arbitrators.
There are many reason why India could not excel in ADR field. The chief among them is that there is very little focus upon institutional arbitration in India and a majority of arbitration proceeding in India are managed at individual level.
We are not saying that there are no institutional arbitration centres in India. What we are saying is that these institutions failed to create confidence among global stakeholders that institutional arbitration can be managed in India with qualitative results.
We have a policy and regulatory framework that is promoting, regulating and encouraging institutional arbitration in India. Now the next logical step of India should be to encourage Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) in India.
We at ODR India Portal have already given India an advantage in this regard. It is for the Indian govt now to continue the lead and help India become a global hub for ODR. We launched ODR Portal(s) in 2004 and neither Congress nor BJP had the vision to adopt it. Even in October 2022 we do not have a sound ODR Policy of India.
But we have decided to act as successive Indian govts have failed to take suitable actions since 2004. ODR India Portal has now launched the exclusive Techno Legal ODR Portal of the world that would make India a hub for Techno Legal ODR Services. From traditional legal fields to most contemporary fields like artificial intelligence, machine learning, space law, cyber law, cyber security, cloud computing, e-gaming, etc, we are resolving disputes from around the globe.
We resolve all disputes online that too within a period of 3 months. Our administrative fees and arbitrators fees are very reasonable. To further Access To Justice (A2J), we waive our arbitrators fees in suitable cases. Our aim is to keep disputes away from courts and to ensure Justice For All. With these developments and facilities, there is nothing that would prevent India from becoming a global hub for institutional arbitration and ODR soon.
Cheque bouncing in an unpleasant event for both the issuer and the bearer of the cheque. If things are not sorted out properly after a bouncing episode, the end result may not be pleasant for both parties. The issuer has to face a lengthy and costly court case whereas the bearer has to bear additional cost and wastage of time to recover his money back.
As a result the parties to the dispute are tied up in a lengthy and costly legal proceeding that should not be there at the first place. This also causes unnecessary burden upon courts and as a result pendency of cases are increasing in India continuously.
This is where Visionary Praveen Dalal brought the historic and revolutionary concept of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) in India in 2004. Since then, Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) and PTLB have successfully tested and implemented various ODR, e-court and Telelaw initiatives.
For instance, ODR India was the first ODR project and initiative launched by P4LO and PTLB in 2004. It has been serving national and international stakeholders since 2004. Resolve Without Litigation (RWL) is another project of P4LO and PTLB that is also using technology to resolve global disputes.
We are working upon latest and open source technologies and software for both ODR India and RWL initiatives. Once they would be finally approved, existing websites would be rejuvenated and new ones would be launched. But till that time we have not left any stakeholder without a legal and judicial remedy.
ODR India Portal is providing exclusive techno legal and most extensive ODR services in the world. One of the services covered by ODR India Portal pertains to dispute resolution of cheque bouncing cases. It is resolving the same within 3 months and at a much lesser cost than the parties bear in the courts. So ODR India Portal not only provides an economical but also a timely remedy to the parties to the dispute.
It only takes two minutes to file an online cheque bouncing complaint/dispute at ODR India Portal once you are a registered member of the ODR India Portal. Registration is absolutely free for global stakeholders and we charge nominal cost as fees for our services so that ODR India Portal can continue to serve global stakeholders.
The fees is proportionate to the amount involved in question so that it always remains reasonable and affordable. We have provided different options for online fees payment so that dispute resolution seekers can find all solutions at a single place.
Once the cheque bouncing dispute is filed at the portal and requisite fee is paid, we guide the complainant and other parties to the dispute about the procedure involved and required documentation. We have kept the procedure, documentation and legal formalities to minimum so that efficiency and better end results can be achieved.
Once documentation is completed, we proceed in stages that are predefined so that the dispute is resolved in the time framework of 3 months. In exceptional cases, we allow further time of two months to meet the ends of justice. All extensions are explained by an order in writing with proper reasons and by keeping the parties to the dispute in confidence.
The final decision of ODR India Portal and its ODR Experts is binding upon the parties to the dispute and is enforceable in a court of law as an award. Enforcement of the award of ODR India Portal by the parties to the dispute is absolutely optional and discretionary and would be required in very exceptional cases only. So once the award is passed, the dispute will be settled for all practical purposes.
Access to Justice (A2J) and Justice for All cannot be achieved in a better manner than as done by ODR India Portal of P4LO and PTLB. If you are interested in this revolutionary and historic global initiative, you can join us as an ODR Expert. We welcome all the stakeholders and ODR Experts in advance.
Cyber security lapses and lack of cyber security expertise in India are exposed on daily basis in India since 2014. However, even in September 2022, cyber security is in a real bad condition. We have lack of dedicated and effective laws on cyber law, cyber security, etc on the one hand and unconstitutional and privacy violating activities of Indian govt on the other.
If this critical condition is not enough, the all is well attitude of Indian govt and Indian stakeholders completes the cycle. It does not matter at all in India if stakeholders do not follow the cyber security rules under the Information Technology Act, 2000. This all is well attitude fills in the cyber security skills and expertise gap in India.
This nexus between Indian govt and other Indian stakeholders is so strong that even if an individual reports any privacy violation, data breach, cyber attack or any cyber security vulnerability, neither CERT-In nor Indian govt takes any action.
Public spirited individuals and cyber security experts are discouraged from reporting cyber security breach incidences as that serves well and protects the status quo of insecure Indian cyberspace. The Digital India project itself suffers from lack of regulatory framework and procedural safeguards.
Visionary Praveen Dalal cautioned successive Indian govts since 2010 about unconstitutional Aadhaar, privacy violating activities, poor cyber law and missing cyber security law, pathetic cyber security of India, e-surveillance and many more issues. Neither Congress nor BJP did anything in this regard till September 2022.
But Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) and PTLB have launched many good and effective techno legal projects to strengthen Indian cyberspace. These projects ensure privacy protection, data protection, data security, cyber security, civil liberties protection in cyberspace, management of conflict of laws in cyberspace, etc.
P4LO and PTLB also launched world renowned projects for online dispute resolution (ODR), e-courts, TeleLaw, etc to ensure digital empowerment of Indians and global stakeholders. ODR Portal of India has been helping global stakeholders in managing their techno legal regulatory and compliance requirements.
Stakeholders who are actually interested in managing regulatory and compliance in fields like cyber law, cyber security, privacy protection, data protection, internet intermediary compliance, social media compliance, cyber security breach disclosures, etc can contact ODR India Portal to handle the same on their behalf.
India is a sitting duck in cyber security field and there is no doubt about that. Whether it is Congress or BJP, no political party paid the required attention to cyber security of India. Even when any govt tried to do so, industry and businesses have successfully pushed back a proactive cyber security system in India.
For instance, MSMEs of India are still not ready to comply with CERT-In’s cybersecurity rules. The India SME Forum wrote a letter to the govt seeking the 25-09-2022 deadline extension. Even if Modi govt does not allow such an extension, there would not be any material difference in this regard as hardly anybody reports cyber security breaches in India in any case.
From banks to directors of Indian companies, nobody takes cyber security breach reporting seriously. Telecom companies are worst affected as they actively harbour cyber criminals and cyber fraudsters who are exploiting their infrastructure without any fear and legal liabilities.
Authorities like Delhi Police are themselves useless as they lack technical capabilities and expertise to handle technology related crimes. Govt portals are just show pieces with no actual utility. You can report something there but no actual action is ever taken by such portals and authorities handling them. RBI Ombudsman is dead and there is no accountability of Indian banks to ensure robust cyber security for banking systems.
Similarly, Indian banks cannot even keep their servers up and running and expecting them to have secure systems is naive. RBI has done just lip service in this regard and online banking and digital payments are insecure in India. Bank customers are without any remedy except the one provided by Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Portal of Visionary Praveen Dalal. ODR Portal of India is the only portal that is providing techno legal assistance to global stakeholders.
This all is well attitude for cyber security of India has persisted for almost two decades and no political party has the wisdom to bring the required and necessary changes. We have already lost a great deal of money in India to cyber criminals but the real damage is not even reported in media.
Monetary loss is just one aspect and other more dangerous and complicated aspects would be faced by India very soon. This all is well attitude would prove fatal to India in near future warns Visionary Praveen Dalal.
But if you are a serious player and you love India and its interest, contact ODR India Portal for your complete techno legal regulatory and compliance requirements in India and other jurisdictions. We would manage your cyber security, cyber law, digital evidencing, cyber forensic and many more techno legal regulatory and compliance needs.
Perry4Law Organisation (P4LO) and PTLB are managing the exclusive techno legal Centre of Excellence for Digital India Laws and Regulations in India (CEDILRI) since 2016. It is helping ODR India Portal to manage global techno legal regulatory and legal compliance of global stakeholders. Stay on the right side of law and contact ODR India Portal today for your techno legal regulatory and compliance needs.
With the increase in use of digital payments, cyber crimes and cyber frauds have increased tremendously in India. There are only few options available to Indians to report such cyber crimes and cyber frauds. Even lesser are the options to avail of appropriate remedies and get back the stolen money.
While it is good that India is pushing for digital payments yet lack of strong and stringent cyber law and cyber security laws would make this exercise counter productive. Digital payment system of India must be trustworthy, transparent, fair and customer friendly. There must be a well established dispute resolution mechanism in place so that customer disputes can be resolved effectively and efficiently.
India has currently adopted a model where banks and digital payment service providers have to establish an internal grievance redressal mechanism. Anybody who has dealt with such a system is aware that it is nothing more than a formality and customers rarely get any remedy or solution out of that redundant and obsolete model. Even Ombudsman system of RBI has become dysfunctional and is of little help except exerting moral pressure upon guilty banks and financial institutions.
The ODR India Portal of Visionary Praveen Dalal launched a nation wide test to check if RBI and cyber cells in India can handle cyber crimes, cyber frauds and banking frauds. Both RBI and cyber cells failed miserably and ODR Portal of India seems to be the only hope.
Equally bad is the cyber security preparedness of banks, telecom companies and Indian govt. Passing buck to each other and putting all blame upon the victim is the official strategy of Indian govt, banks, RBI, etc. That is why ODR India Portal is helping Indian customers to get their money back as soon as possible.
In order to get best results, bank customers must be vigilant and cyber aware. They must report all cyber crimes and cyber frauds to the banks and financial institutions as soon as possible. If the reporting is done within few hours of the occurrence, chances of recovery of full money are very bright. The more they delay in reporting, the lesser are the chances of getting back full money and only partial amount can be recovered.
This is where the ODR Portal of India becomes very important. Once a customer has informed his/her bank or financial institution, he/she can safely approach ODR India Portal. We would guide him/her about the entire procedure and would stay connected with him/her till the end. Twitter is also used to communicate and interact between various stakeholders involved in the case.
If a customer needs our help to approach the bank or financial institution for reporting purposes, we can help in that situation too. Cyber crime or cyber fraud victims can contact us in any of the mode, i.e. e-mail, chat, Twitter, etc.
Once the contact with concerned bank or financial institution is established and the cyber crime or cyber fraud has been duly reported, the customer can file an ODR Request at ODR India Portal. Include all details and information along with your ODR Request and we would contact back for additional documents and information, if any. Do not forget to add crucial details like mobile number, e-mail id, address, ID proof, communication with the bank and other Indian authorities, etc. That would result in faster processing of your request and better results.
After the ODR Request is filed, we would include all stakeholders in the request .i.e. customer, bank, ODR India Portal, Indian authorities, RBI, etc. Stakeholders would be added as per need basis and some would be added initially while others may be added as we proceed to recover back your money.
A stakeholder can file ODR Request for multiple purposes. It may be an online banking fraud or ATM fraud or credit/debit card cloning/fraud or any other fraud or crime. It can include digital payments frauds of any type or even when the money was initially obtained legally and at the instance of the stakeholder but its subsequent refund is not facilitated in a timely manner.
For instance, if you have purchased something from an e-commerce website and the promised product is not up to the mark, you may insist for a refund. If the e-commerce company fails to refund back the amount as per Indian laws, you can file an ODR Request at the ODR Portal of India to get back your money. We would ensure your money is paid back as soon as possible.
Similarly, there may be a case where the transaction is declined but your money is debited. If it is not refunded back in time, you can use the ODR Portal of India to get it back urgently.
There may be cases where banks or financial institutions may have deduced money from your account on some pretext and without your consent. You can use the ODR India Portal to get back that money.
There may be cases where the goods or services are not as promised and you may wish to get back the money for which defective good or services were provided. You can use the ODR India Portal to get back that money or to obtain qualitative and agreed upon goods or services.
These are just few examples and there may be many more situations where digital payment frauds and illegal money retention could be involved. Just use the ODR India Portal and we would make it sure that you would get justice and your money back.
We resolve all disputes online within a maximum period of 3 month. In most cases, they are resolved within a week time and 3 month is the outer limit that is seldom required. Our costs are also very reasonable and are directly proportional to the amount involved. This would not create any monetary pressure upon the user of our portal.
Both registration at the ODR India Portal and its services are absolutely free as part of our Access To Justice (A2J) and Justice For All initiatives. We only charge nominal Administrative Cost so that the wonderful services of ODR India Portal can continue to exist for global stakeholders.
Do not remain a moot spectator to the illegalities and unreasonableness of any person or institution and fight for your rights with the help of ODR India Portal.