New Delhi: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Monday called for the need for collective efforts to deal with challenges emerging from cybersecurity, during the meetings of the NSAs of the BRICS member states in Johannesburg. “The Global South in particular needs to overcome limitations of resources. In this regard, India will always remain at the forefront and work closely with the Global South,” he said.
Doval further stated that the gravity of cyber risks will increase exponentially with the advent of disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data and the Internet of Things. He pointed out the connection between cyber criminals and terrorists, including the use of cyberspace for financing, money laundering, radicalising, lone wolf attacks, recruitment and secured communications.
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"The younger population was particularly vulnerable to the spread of extremist ideologies via social media sites as they are technology savvy and have impressionable minds,” he added. Chaired by the South African Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the BRICS NSA meeting saw the participation of Russian NSA Nikolai Patrushev, Chinese diplomat Wang Yi and other NSAs from member countries and friends of BRICS.
Doval also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS and friends from BRICS. The BRICS NSA-level meeting is in the run-up to the BRICS summit which is slated to be held on August 22-24. Meanwhile, the South African government last week confirmed that Russian President Putin will not attend the BRICS Summit in August as the arrest warrant by International International Criminal Court (ICC) over an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia amid the conflict looms large.
