Exploding cyber crime in India

Varun Kapoor *

Cyber Crime is emerging as the biggest threat to civil security and citizen safety in the country. A joint study conducted by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce) & Mahindra SSG revealed certain startling facts. Facts which have added a whole new dimension to the various aspects of cyber crime control.

This path breaking study had laid before the nation the fact that the cupboard of security is in a way totally empty. Before things get out of hand and uncontrollable action has to be taken and this has to be decisive and incisive action.

According to this study the year 2014 saw 1,49,254 cyber crime incidents occurring in the country. This is indeed a very huge figure and it shows that the cyber crime in the country is at a very high level. The same study suggests that the year 2015 will see a great leap in these numbers. They are estimated to go up to a whopping 3,00,000 cyber crime incidents.

This is a 100% increase and such a spectacular increase is without precedent in policing crime in India in the past. The reasons for this spectacular rise are many and varied. The main being the lack of preparedness of the security setup in the country to deal with this cyber crime explosion and the other being the lack of awareness amongst the citizens of the country to face this rapid onslaught.

If the situation is allowed to drift as it presently is then there will be no surprise that the figures reach alarming proportions. The one’s who will suffer in such a scenario are the citizen’s of this country – especially the youth and the students – as they are the sections who are using the virtual world to the largest extent.

A “young” India, who are exposed to the threat of cyber space insecurity – will definitely not be the “young” India willing to take risks; try new ventures and ideas & put into practice their natural spirit of adventure – and move rapidly forward themselves and hence take this country forward at a rapidly increasing rate. With the increase in IT based services, cyber offences are bound to increase.

One such sector is the spreading concept of e-Governance, all Governmental agencies will have a strong push towards cyber based services in the times to come. Another will be the increasing spread of Online Business, this includes shopping, banking, insurance, trading and other related commercial activities.

The third IT based service that will spread rapidly and hence impact the rising trend of cyber crimes in the country is the increase in Electronic Transactions. In the coming times the increased use of e-payments and plastic money (ATM cards; Debit & Credit Cards etc) will ensure that cyber criminals try to illegally tap into this source of easy money to a much greater extent.

These three factors will as a result inflict serious financial damage to unsuspecting victims and in turn impact the state of the countries’ economy adversely too, in the coming times. The next target area for increased internet penetration is the rural areas of the country. Total internet users in India in December 2015 was 40.2 Crore which is second highest in the world after China (60 Crore).

The total active rural internet users at this time in India stood at 11.7 Crores and is expected to reach 14.7 Crores in June 2016, this is an increase of nearly 26% in just 6 months1. This growth in the rural sector is going to be exponential as can be clearly seen.

The increasing internet penetration itself will create an inflationary pressure on the cyber crimes and this when coupled with even lower levels of awareness amongst the citizens of the hinterlands, the scenario viz-a-viz cyber crime is even more bleak and challenging.

Keeping these two major facts in mind – increasing use of IT based services in the country and the increasing internet penetration in rural areas of the country – policies, programs and actions have to be formulated and implemented by the security agencies and the Governments of the land, so that foolproof security and protective measures can be put in place for all the citizens of this land.

Views expressed in the column are of the author himself.