#FactCheck - "AI-Generated Image of UK Police Officers Bowing to Muslims Goes Viral”

Introduction

Since February 2020 the government has been taking keen steps to safeguard the Indian markets and the consumer, this could be seen in the forms of policies and exemptions for the market players and the consumers, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the markets places became vulnerable to loss and various forms of new crimes and frauds. The Government recently tabled the Jan Vishwas bill which is an aftermath of the Vivad se Vishwas Bill, 2020 which was tabled in February 2020 for creating a safe and dynamic market, this bill is a clear example of how AtmaNirbhar Bharat plays a crucial role in nations development.

What is Jan Vishwas Bill, 2022

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022 is a 108-page bill introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal. The statement of objects and reasons of the Bill states, “To amend certain enactments for decriminalizing and rationalizing minor offenses to further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business.” The bill aims to promote ease of doing business in India by decriminalizing minor offences and amending 183 provisions in 42 Acts administered by 19 ministries. The bill proposes to replace minor offences with monetary penalties and rationalize existing monetary penalties based on the gravity of the offences. The Acts to be amended by the bill include-

• Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
• Public Debt Act, 1944
• Pharmacy Act, 1948
• Cinematograph Act, 1952
• Copyright Act, 1957
• Patents Act, 1970
• Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
• Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
• Trade Marks Act, 1999l Railways Act, 1989
• Information Technology Act, 2000
• Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002
• Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
• Legal Metrology Act, 2009
• Factoring Regulation Act, 2011

The bill aims to decriminalize a large number of minor offences and replace them with monetary penalties. This step by the government is a clear indication of how important the market regulations are, in recent times Google was imposed with a penalty of 1300 crores and 900 crores for violating competitive market practices, these penalties, and criminalised actions will ensure proper compliance to laws of the land thus creating a blanket of safeguards for the Indian consumer and netizen.‍

What will the Ease of Business be?

The Government has been critical in pinpointing various parameters and factors to improve the ease of business in the country, this bill comes at the right time when we can see numerous start-ups and entrepreneurs emerging in our country. The parameters are as follows-

• Starting a Business of all
• Dealing with Construction Permits
• Getting Electricity
• Registering Property
• Getting Credit
• Protecting
• Minority Investors
• Paying Taxes
• Trading across Borders
• Enforcing Contracts and Resolving Insolvency

These parameters have been created with a sight on the future of the markets and how external factors like the Russia-Ukraine war can influence the markets. According to Minister Piyush Goyal, the fear of imprisonment for minor offences is a major factor hindering the growth of the business ecosystem and individual confidence in India. The Jan Vishwas Bill, 2022 aims to address this issue by replacing minor offences with monetary penalties. The bill also proposes an increase of 10% in the minimum amount of fine and penalty levied after every three years, once the bill becomes a law.

Conclusion

The bill will create a level playing field for the market players and the consumers with the backing of strong legislation and precedents thus maintaining transparency and accountability in the system. The amended provisions will allow various already existing legislation to come in tune with the current times and emerging technologies. The nation is at a critical juncture to fabricate policies and laws to address the issues and threats of the future and hence such a bill will be the strengthening pillar of the Indian markets and cyber-ecosystem. The Jan Vishwas Bill, 2022 has been referred to a 31-member joint parliamentary committee for scrutiny. The committee includes members from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and will submit its report to parliament by the second part of the Budget session in 2023, The members from the Lok Sabha include PP Chaudhary, Sanjay Jaiswal, Queen Ojha, Rajendra Agrawal, Gaurav Gogoi, A Raja, Rajendra Agarwal, Poonam Pramod Mahajan, and Sougata Ray.

Introduction

In today's digital age protecting your personal information is of utmost importance. The bad actors are constantly on the lookout for ways to misuse your sensitive or personal data. The Aadhaar card is a crucial document that is utilised by all of us for various aspects. It is considered your official government-verified ID and is used for various purposes such as for verification purposes, KYC purposes, and even for financial transactions. Your Aadhaar card is used in so many ways such as flight tickets booked by travel agents, check-in in hotels, verification at educational institutions and more. The bad actors can target and lure the victims by unauthorized access to your Aadhaar data and commit cyber frauds such as identity theft, unauthorized access, and financial fraud. Hence it is significantly important to protect your personal information and Aadhaar card details and prevent the misuse of your personal information.

What is fingerprint cloning?

Cybercrooks have been exploiting the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS). These scams entail cloning individuals' Aadhaar-linked biometrics through silicon fingerprints and unauthorized biometric devices, subsequently siphoning money from their bank accounts. Fingerprint cloning also known as fingerprint spoofing is a technique or a method where an individual tries to replicate someone else's fingerprint for unauthorized use. This is done for various reasons, including gaining unauthorized access to data, unlocking data or committing identity theft. The process of fingerprint cloning includes collection and creation.

The recent case of Aadhaar Card fingerprint cloning in Nawada

Nawada Cyber Police unit has arrested two perpetrators who were engaged in fingerprint cloning fraud.  The criminals are accused of duping consumers of money from their bank accounts by cloning their fingerprints. Among the two perpetrators, one of them runs the Common Service Centre (CSC) whereas the second is a sweeper at the DBGB branch bank. The criminals are accused of duping consumers of money from their bank accounts by cloning their fingerprints. According to the police, an organized gang of cyber criminals had been defrauding the consumers for the last two years with the help of a CSC operator and were embezzling money from the accounts of consumers by cloning their fingerprints and taking Aadhaar numbers. The operator used to collect the Aadhaar number from the consumers by putting their thumb impression on a register. Among these two perpetrators, one was accused of withdrawing more money from the consumer's account and making less payment and sometimes not making the payment after withdrawing the money. Whereas the second perpetrator stole the data of consumers from the DBGB branch bank and prepared their fingerprint clone. During the investigation of a case related to fraud, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Cyber ​​Police conducted raids in Govindpur and Roh police station areas on the basis of technical surveillance and available evidence and arrested them. 

Safety measures for the security of your Aadhaar Card data

• Locking your biometrics: One way to save your Aadhaar card and prevent unauthorized access is by locking your biometrics. To lock & unlock your Aadhaar biometrics you can visit the official website of UIDAI or its official portal. So go to UIDAI’s and select the “Lock/Unlock Biometrics” from the Aadhar service section. Then enter the 12-digit Aadhaar number and security code and click on the OTP option.  An OTP will be sent to your registered mobile number with Aadhaar.  Once the OTP is received enter the OTP and click on the login button that will allow you to lock your biometrics.  Enter the 4-digit security code mentioned on the screen and click on the “Enable” button. Your biometrics will be locked and you will have to unblock them in case you want to access them again. The official website of UIDAI is “https://uidai.gov.in/” and there is a dedicated Aadhar helpline 1947. 
• Use masked Aadhaar Card: A masked Aadhaar card is a different rendition of an Aadhaar card that is designed to amplify the privacy and security of an individual Aadhaar number.  In a masked Aadhaar card, the first eight digits of the twelve digits Aadhaar number are replaced by XXXX- XXXX and only the last four digits are visible.  This adds an additional layer of protection to an individual Aadhaar’s number. To download a masked Aadhaar card you visit the government website of UIDAI and on the UIDAI homepage, you will see a "Download Aadhaar" option. Click on it.  In the next step, you will be required to enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number along with the security code displayed on the screen.  After entering your Aadhaar number, click on the Send OTP. You will receive an OTP on your registered phone number. Enter the OTP received in the provided field and click on the “Submit” button.  You will be asked to select the format of your Aadhaar card, You can choose the masked Aadhaar card option. This will replace the first eight digits of your Aadhaar number with "XXXX-XXXX" on the downloaded Aadhaar card. Once the format is selected, click on the “Download Aadhaar” button and your masked Aadhaar card will be downloaded. So if any organisation requires your Aadhaar for verification you can share your masked Aadhar card which only shows the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar card number. Just the way you keep your bank details safe you should also keep your Aadhaar number secure otherwise people can misuse your identity and use it for fraud. 
• Monitoring your bank account transactions: Regularly monitor your bank account statements for any suspicious activity and you can also configure transaction alerts with your bank account transactions.

Conclusion: 

It is important to secure your Aadhaar card data effectively. The valuable security measure option of locking biometrics provides an additional layer of security. It safeguards your identity from potential scammers. By locking your biometrics you can secure your biometric data and other personal information preventing unauthorized access and any misuse of your Aadhaar card data. In today's evolving digital landscape protecting your personal information is of utmost importance. The cyber hygiene practices, safety and security measures must be adopted by all of us hence establishing cyber peace and harmonizing cyberspace. 

References:

• https://www.livehindustan.com/bihar/story-cyber-crime-csc-operator-and-bank-sweeper-arrested-in-nawada-cheating-by-cloning-finger-prints-8913667.html
• https://www.indiatoday.in/news-analysis/story/cloning-fingerprints-fake-shell-entities-is-your-aadhaar-as-safe-as-you-may-think-2398596-2023-06-27

‍

‍

Introduction 

As the world is being "Digitally Interlaced", cyber security has become a continuous wrangle. The “Gambling industry” is considered an incredibly lucrative mark for cybercriminals, principally due to the enormous quantities of cash on hand and the sensitive details it processes day to day. Cybercriminals may use susceptibilities in gambling scaffolds to achieve financial scams or launder unlawful funds. An analysis by Security Scorecard discovered that the online gambling industry was ranked third in the possibility of encountering a cyber attack, following the energy and financial services sectors. Similarly, Online gambling is a bending matter that demands meticulous contemplation by policymakers and nationals. The incredible rise of online gambling has led to a terse acclivity in unlawful activities such as online scams, fraud, etc. Also, online sports gambling has become a thriving endeavour in contemporary years as millions of people are putting stakes and gambles on their electronic devices.

The Challenges

Online gambling has thus become a widespread frolicking for numerous youngsters, with the industry tossed to be worth billions of dollars in the forthcoming decades. The prominent cyber security challenges in the gambling industry are money laundering, financial laundering, ransomware, personal information theft, data breaches, distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), system disruptions and Insider perils and employee malfeasance. Challenges of online gambling also include being properly not regulated and a lack of social interaction with near and dear ones. The spread of Internet gambling has presented many problems affecting consumer behaviour online, motivations to gamble, problem gambling, security of websites, and the righteousness and virtue of the games. The rise of online gambling among young people due to the lack of clear regulations has likewise produced an abundant backdrop for financial ruination.

Web games and betting are among the fastest-evolving areas of the Internet. Over the past several years, there has been an international flare-up in online gambling, permitting customers to play from the convenience of home, work, and public locations. Numerous offshore betting websites and apps usually permit parties to win in the start with sound returns, whereas after the user gets addicted and invests considerable sums, they either keep failing or have the website refuse to cash out the winnings. Also, the information demonstrates that online games have been employed to commit wrongdoings (Child sexual exploitive material, religious conversion, cyberbullying, fraud, betting in virtual online casinos, etc.)

India's laws and regulations surrounding online gambling are complex and constantly evolving. While the legal framework is not entirely clear, a few state in India have their own set of rules.

Recently In April 2023, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (“MeitY”), by virtue of the rule-making powers available to the central government under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (“IT Act 2000”), implemented a new central legal framework for online gaming through amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules 2021”).  These amendments (“Online Gaming Rules”) propose a light-touch, co-regulatory regime whereby MeitY-recognised, independent self-regulatory bodies (“SRB”) will verify whether an “online real-money game” is to be made available to the general public or not – in accordance with the baseline criteria prescribed by the Online Gaming Rules.

The Online Gaming Rules attempt to regulate online gaming platforms by treating them as an “online gaming intermediary” (“OGI”) and prescribing intermediary due diligence obligations for them under the IT Rules 2021.  An OGI has been defined in the Online Gaming Rules as “any intermediary that enables the users of its computer resource to access one or more online games”.  Under the Online Gaming Rules, an online game can be a “permissible online game” if (i) it is not an online real-money game, or (ii) it is an online real-money game but is “verified” by an SRB in accordance with the baseline criteria prescribed by the Online Gaming Rules and any additional criteria prescribed by the SRB itself.

Global Perspective

The global gaming industry worth over US$227 billion in 2022 is further projected to grow to US$312 billion by 2027. Several countries have set regulatory frameworks about online gaming, though these are skewed, concentrating mainly on gambling and circumventing numerous of the more typical cyber threats. The US spends about $60 billion annually on online gambling and sports betting. In Europe, gambling is an even larger moneymaker. Also, numerous countries in Europe, like the UK, have legalised gambling. Nevertheless, it is prohibited for a US based company to operate an online gambling site. Yet, sports betting online is permitted in some states.

Today, though the gaming market has been overpowered by China and the US, future growth in the sector is anticipated to come from emerging economies like India with increasing populations. The permitted status of online gambling in India is nonetheless imprecise, vamoosing space for exploitation by cyber criminals and disarray for players involved. One of the climactic points that ought to be addressed is the sudden upsurge of online games, which increases gambling. Skill-based games such as poker, rummy etc., have additionally been developed to circumvent the legal definition of gambling in India. The recent instances of the online gaming industry not being properly regulated have also come to light in India. For instance, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is still investigating the vast Mahadev Online Betting scandal, exposing an unknown money laundering method using Unified Payment Interface (UPI) IDs. Also, the Cyber Cell in Agra has taken proactive action against copyright violations, illegal online gambling and betting activities, shutting down 27 Illegal cricket betting sites in major operations, safeguarding several lakhs of Indians with thousands of crores from being transferred to overseas shores principally China. 

Consequently, though India has announced new regulations on online gaming, its contemporary policy framework cannot contend with the problems endangering this sector. The Public Gambling Act of 1867 makes it unlawful to use a public gambling house or to be seen in one. Nevertheless, the act does not explicitly cite online gambling, leading to further interpretation. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has released a further awareness campaign for offshore illegal gambling apps, notifying users to be mindful of foreign apps as they may be fraudulent and might induce monetary damage to the user. Also, state laws control gambling in India with each state having its own directive on the subject.  Yet, the Supreme Court of India has maintained that skilled games are not gambling and are thus legal. Furthermore, the Information Technology (IT) Act, of 2000 does not precisely handle online gambling or games that enable gambling.

Today, developers have strived for new ways to monetise the growing popularity of online gaming, which oversaw the creation of in-game currencies that can be bought using actual money, usually through credit cards.  Several nations have prohibited the usage of in-game currency and loot boxes, considering them a kind of online gambling. The in-game currency has thus caused much disagreement about becoming a state of hunting monetisation by developers, especially targeting minor or newbie players. The gambling industry, therefore, faces unique cybersecurity challenges that require a comprehensive and proactive approach to cybersecurity.

Conclusion

Presently, there are approximately 3.09 billion active video game players worldwide, and the number is expected to reach 3.32 billion by 2024 as of 2023. In the contemporary digital era, information is priceless, and encryption acts as a necessary means to safeguard it. Thus, Regulators are working to maintain the swiftness of shift in the industry, as the dearth of transparency in the law has made it challenging to implement regulations. There is also less awareness about cyber security in India due to the following grounds such as the lack of ethical hackers in the country, companies in India lacking focus on cyber security and hiring a team of ethical hackers and cyber security experts. Furthermore, there has been a lack of knowledge among the citizens as well. 

It is essential to realise the conceivable social and economic consequences and take measures to handle the online gambling industry. The industry has thus been undersized in the mode of research following online crime and Internet gambling, even though it is an acute emphasis.  There is also a pressing necessity to rebuild these regulations to tackle the more unbridled cyber security hazards swarming the gaming industry. Similarly, there is an urgent need for governments and policymakers around the world to start paying more attention to the gaming industry as cyber security threats continue to rise. There should be a further need to strengthen the regulatory framework, establish Self Regulatory Organizations (SROs), create ethical gaming designs and increase awareness among gamers. The Government of India should consider devising its own rating system to rate games so that players under 18 cannot access them.

Eventually, cyber security is a shared commitment, and everyone in the online gambling ecosystem must function jointly to provide a secure and safe setting for all.

References:

• https://truefort.com/gambling-industry-cybersecurity/
• https://www.orfonline.org/research/cybersecurity-threats-in-online-gaming-learnings-for-india
• https://www.hackread.com/chinese-scammers-cloned-websites-gambling-network/
• https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/cybersecurity-threats-from-online-gaming/
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/legal-considerations-online-gambling-india-sudden-increase-mathur/
• https://www.jsheld.com/insights/articles/the-importance-of-cybersecurity-in-the-online-sports-betting-industry
• https://www.the420.in/agra-cyber-cell-takes-down-27-illegal-betting-sites/
• https://g2g.news/gaming/ministry-of-home-affairs-releases-new-awareness-campaign-for-online-gaming-in-india/
• https://smestreet.in/technology/kaspersky-warns-of-increased-phishing-scams-and-data-breaches-in-apac-for-2024-2381601
• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/newsletters/morning-dispatch/govt-bans-mahadev-other-illegal-betting-apps-cyber-attacks-against-india-spike/articleshow/104996017.cms?from=mdr
• https://cipher.com/cybersecurity-for-gambling/
• https://www.mangalorean.com/tightening-the-reins-indian-government-blocks-over-550-illegal-betting-and-gambling-apps/
• https://cybersecurityasean.com/news-press-releases/kaspersky-predicts-rise-cyber-threats-across-apac-2024
• https://www.cnbctv18.com/technology/mahadev-betting-app-scam-ed-money-laundering-upi-celebrities-under-scanner-17815661.htm
• https://iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/india

‍