Tech-Governance: MoS Rajeev Chandrashekar speaks on Open Internet, Cyber Security & more

Technology management can be defined as the process of exercising political, economic and administrative power when it comes to the development, dissemination and operation of technology in societies.

When it comes to technology governance in India, the government has formulated laws and policies that support the nation’s democratic principles by ensuring both security and growth for citizens.

In an exclusive interview with Prasar Bharati, MoS Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar spoke about various aspects of technology management related to – open internet, Indian AatmaNirbhar internet, cyber security and the need for new laws.

Weapons of the Internet

In an interview with DD India correspondent Ramesh Ramachandran, the minister spoke in detail about ‘Information Security’ stating that ‘arming the internet against one nation is a dangerous phenomenon’. Referring to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the minister said that the conflict revealed shortcomings in the way global technology is organized, what we see in the background of this crisis is the power of this platform, which some use and some against others. ”

There have been attempts to disconnect the nation from the global Internet. Speaking more about big technology, the minister stressed Splinternets, which means that ‘the internet is being replaced by islands connected or disconnected according to the whims and imaginations of big platforms.’

Therefore, it is increasingly important to make a nation resilient and confident in the way we organize our technological ecosystem.

What does India need to do to strengthen the nation’s cyber security and data throughput for ordinary citizens, entrepreneurs and platforms?

The minister said Prime Minister Modi understands that technology is a driver that can drive big changes. He set a goal of a trillion-dollar digital economy. ‘

“The first milestone is that today we have 80 million Indians on the Internet, in the coming years we will have 120 million Indians in the world of the Internet, which would include children, women, the elderly, the educated and those who are not, among others. Therefore, it is important that the Internet be inclusive and secure in the coming years, “said the Minister of IT, speaking about security and the growth of the technology industry.

The Government of India has set a vision to ensure that the Internet exists; Safe, open, reliable by users and intermediaries are responsible to the citizens of India.

Speaking about the law regulating cyberspace in India, the Minister of IT said: “22 years ago, the Indian Informatics Act was passed when there was no commercial internet in the picture, so it is almost intuitive now that we are moving our legislative and judicial potential to a more modern one.”

“Obviously, we need a new law,” said the IT minister, as part of the possibility of adopting rules regarding cyber security, data protection-privacy-management and the standards on the basis of which the government manages the digitalization program.

What we can expect in the coming months is the introduction of a modern, global standard, legal and normative architecture of the Government. India (Digital India) for users, entrepreneurs, startups as well as foreign platforms doing business in India.

“The Ministry of IT believes in a policy without speed limits”, which means that all the work done must help the momentum that India has achieved in the post COVID era, which provides more space for entrepreneurs and startups.

Indian AatmaNirbhar Internet – Need, Security, Replacement

Internet platforms were initially seen only as technological innovations, as things for the public good, and therefore do not require any regulation. The consequence of the concept of harm has never been a problem until the last decade.

“The so-called free and open internet has suddenly become a high-tech island, dominated by powerful multi-billion dollar players who are actually carving the internet into their personal islands,” said the IT minister. In addition, we now see the phenomenon of growing “damage on the Internet”.

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar, who has spent much of his time studying the dark internet, says: “I can assure you, our understanding of the harm to users on the internet is a small-winy-mile-fraction of what actually exists there in terms of harm.” As much as there is good on the internet with the possibility of empowerment, innovation and connection, there is also a reverse, dark lower abdomen that carries a lot of damage if not regulated.

“Most importantly, we do not have to extrapolate this need for law and regulation to mean that freedom must be threatened or become China or Russia. India is a democracy. The Internet in India will never be controlled by the government or any of the big technologies, ‘said the IT minister.

India’s AatmaNirbhar approach to the Internet says – let innovations, startups and foreign-owned competitors operate on an equal footing. This only provides more choice to the citizens of India.