New Delhi: India has been a victim of terrorism itself, and it has often urged the global body UN and Member States to address and tackle the implications of terrorist exploitation of the cyber domain more strategically.
Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla addressed the UN Security Council Open Debate on “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Cyber Security” on Tuesday ( June 29) and stated how India has been a victim of terrorism.
“Terrorists have also used social media for planning and executing their terror attacks and wreaking havoc,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary said the open societies “have been particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns.”
Some countries are using their experience in cyberspace to achieve their “political and security-related objectives,” he said about contemporary forms of cross-border terrorism.
“The world is already witnessing the use of cyber tools to compromise State security through, inter alia, attacking critical national infrastructure, including health and energy facilities; sometimes disrupt social harmony through radicalization,” Mr. Shringla said.
He also stated that the dynamic and ever-changing nature of cyberspace. It has pushed cybersecurity into the conversation about peace and security.
“The borderless nature of cyberspace, and anonymity of actors involved, has challenged the traditionally accepted concepts of sovereignty and jurisdiction,” he said.
He, however, said the increasing use of cyber and information-communication technologies has sped up economic development, improved service delivery to citizens, and generated greater social awareness.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only sped up and expanded the digitalization of these activities.
Earlier on Monday, at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict, Mr. Shringla said, “Terror groups take advantage of the fact that children are the most susceptible to manipulation. School closures because of the pandemic have provided an even greater opportunity to these terrorist groups to target children, including through online avenues, for radicalization and indoctrination in violent extremist ideologies.”
Thus, he said there is a need for a more coordinated approach in implementing the child protection and counter-terrorism agendas.
“We also call for ending impunity for all actors responsible for inciting and perpetuating grave violations against children. There must be greater accountability and sincere efforts in bringing the perpetrators to justice by governments from whose territory such entities operate,” he said.
Thus, he said there is a need for a more coordinated approach in implementing the child protection and counter-terrorism agendas.
