Increasing Misuse Of Cryptocurrency, Drones Poses Serious Challenges For Law Enforcing Agencies

The Anti-Terror Conference-2024 highlighted that misuse of internet by terrorists, online radicalisation, dark web pose serious challenge for security agencies, writes ETV Bharat’s Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi: Increasing misuse of emerging technologies such as cryptocurrencies and drones have posed serious challenges before the law enforcing agencies, fighting the menace of terrorism in India.

A two-day-long ‘Anti-Terror Conference-2024’, organised by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), has pointed out that misuse of the internet by terrorists, online radicalisation, crowdfunding, use of dark web, anonymisers and Virtual Private Networks (VPN) have posed a serious challenge for the law enforcing agencies.

Investigation into some of the recent terror activities across the country have revealed that terrorists have been involved in online radicalisation, besides using VPN to evade the law enforcing agencies.

Recent bomb hoax calls targeting Indian flights have used VPNs to hide the caller’s location, posing challenges for investigators compelling the authorities to urge VPN providers to assist in tracking the threats’ origins.

Document in possession of ETV Bharat further said that the anti-terror conference is dealing with issues related to counter terrorism. Experts from related fields such as law, forensics, technology have also highlighted the issue of transnational crimes posing as serious challenge for the law enforcing agencies.

As far as dealing with emerging challenges are concerned, according to the government document, practitioners' workshops on cryptocurrency, drones and cyber terrorism have also been proposed.

The conference highlighted the importance of international cooperation to fight against terrorism.

The two-day-long conference has been divided into five sessions where five different critical aspects required to fight terrorism will be elaborately discussed.

In the first two sessions, prosecution and evolving legal framework in counter terror investigations as well as significant case studies in terror investigations-learning, experience and innovations will be discussed.

In the last three sessions of the conference, issues like emerging technologies namely challenges and opportunities, dismantling the terror ecosystem and comprehensive counter terrorism strategies will be discussed.

Referring to the capacity building of the state law enforcing agencies, it was informed in the meeting that all the agencies have been shared with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to fight terrorism.

On-the-job skill development through attachments, joint operations and coordination meeting; training of new recruits (SI & DySP) in State police academies as well as specialized training courses are some of the strategies that have been implemented for capacity building of the state law enforcing agencies.

The annual conference has emerged as a meeting point for operational forces; technical, legal and forensic experts and agencies engaged in counter terrorism for deliberations on issues impacting national security and threats emerging out of terrorism.

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