Google-backed initiative for training law enforcement agencies in cyber-crime investigation concludes in Delhi

The Data Security Council of India (DSCI) announced that it has collaborated with the Cyber Peace Foundation with the support of Google to design a capacity-building programme for law enforcement officers working on cyber crime investigations. 

A series of workshops called “Understanding cybercrime and their investigation for law enforcement officials” were organised to hone officials’ investigative skills, DSCI said in a statement. 

The officials explored the nuances of emerging forms of cybercrime, the ways in which they are carried out, legal provisions relevant to violation of cyber laws and investigative practices including information gathering, data requisition and legal processes.

The one-day workshops were organised in Assam, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The initiative concluded with a workshop in Delhi on 3 July, 2019.  

DSCI is an industry body for data protection set up by Nasscom, the lobby of the software industry. DSCI brings together governments and their agencies, industry sectors including information technology-business process management, banking, financial services and insurance, telecom, data protection authorities and think tanks for public advocacy and outreach initiatives. 

Rama Vedashree, CEO of DSCI, said, “The sophistication of new technologies has resulted in highly motivated cyber-attacks that make conventional investigation techniques no longer adequate. DSCI is continuously scaling its efforts in law enforcement agency capability through partnership with government and industry.”

Google, through its outreach efforts, aims to ensure a better understanding of the process of investigation of cybercrimes by engaging with Indian law enforcement agencies. Google intends to contribute towards the capacity-building of law enforcement authorities in India through this initiative, the organisation said in a statement. 

As part of its supporting role, Google will nominate its expert(s) in the proposed training workshops and financially support the programme.

Chetan Krishnaswamy, director - government affairs & public policy, India & South Asia, Google, said, “We have partnered with Cyber Peace Foundation and Data Security Council of India to facilitate engagement with law enforcement agencies from different states, and equip them with the information and skills needed to work collaboratively with the industry to ensure digital safety and security of everyone in India.”

Late last year, the findings of a study commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by Frost & Sullivan suggested that India incurs a loss of $10.3 million on average from cyber-attacks. It found that more than three in five organisations surveyed in India had either experienced a cybersecurity incident or were not confident of their data breach assessment processes. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US law enforcement and investigative agency, has warned that cyber criminals have been targeting vulnerable internet of things (IoT) devices such as routers and smart locks for carrying out attacks. 

India’s share in the quantum of global cyber threats has risen from 5% in 2017 to 8% in 2018, and globally, India ranks third in the number of cyber threat victims, according to a report by cybersecurity firm Symantec Corp.