#FactCheck – False Claim of Lord Ram's Hologram in Srinagar - Video Actually from Dehradun

Introduction

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 20th August 2024 issued directives requiring Access Service Providers to adhere to the specific guidelines to protect consumer interests and prevent fraudulent activities.  TRAI has mandated all Access Service Providers to abide by the directives. These steps advance TRAI's efforts to promote a secure messaging ecosystem, protecting consumer interests and eliminating fraudulent conduct.

Key Highlights of the TRAI’s Directives

• For improved monitoring and control, TRAI has directed that Access Service Providers move telemarketing calls, beginning with the 140 series, to an online DLT (Digital Ledger Technology) platform by September 30, 2024, at the latest. 
• All Access Service Providers will be forbidden from sending messages that contain URLs, APKs, OTT links, or callback numbers that the sender has not whitelisted, the rule is to be effective from September 1st, 2024.
• In an effort to improve message traceability, TRAI has made it mandatory for all messages, starting on November 1, 2024, to include a traceable trail from sender to receiver. Any message with an undefined or mismatched telemarketer chain will be rejected.
• To discourage the exploitation or misuse of templates for promotional content, TRAI has introduced punitive actions in case of non-compliance. Content Templates registered in the wrong category will be banned, and subsequent offences will result in a one-month suspension of the Sender's services.
• To assure compliance with rules, all Headers and Content Templates registered on DLT must follow the requirements. Furthermore, a single Content Template cannot be connected to numerous headers.
• If any misuse of headers or content templates by a sender is discovered, TRAI has instructed an immediate ‘suspension of traffic’ from all of that sender's headers and content templates for their verification. Such suspension can only be revoked only after the Sender has taken legal action against such usage. Furthermore, Delivery-Telemarketers must identify and disclose companies guilty of such misuse within two business days, or else risk comparable repercussions.

CyberPeace Policy Outlook

TRAI’s measures are aimed at curbing the misuse of messaging services including spam. TRAI has mandated that headers and content templates follow defined requirements. Punitive actions are introduced in case of non-compliance with the directives, such as blacklisting and service suspension. TRAI’s measures will surely curb the increasing rate of scams such as phishing, spamming, and other fraudulent activities and ultimately protect consumer's interests and establish a true cyber-safe environment in messaging services ecosystem.

The official text of TRAI directives is available on the official website of TRAI or you can access the link here.

References

1. https://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/Direction_20082024.pdf
2. https://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/PR_No.53of2024.pdf
3. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2046872
4. https://legal.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulators/trai-issues-directives-to-access-providers-to-curb-misuse-fraud-through-messaging/112669368

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Introduction

In recent times the evolution of cyber laws has picked up momentum, primarily because of new and emerging technologies. However, just as with any other law, the same is also strengthened and substantiated by judicial precedents and judgements. Recently Delhi High Court has heard a matter between Tata Sky and Linkedin, where the court has asked them to present their Chief Grievance Officer details and SoP per the intermediary guidelines 2021.

Furthermore, in another news, officials from RBI and Meity have been summoned by the Parliamentary Standing Committee in order to address the rising issues of cyber securities and cybercrimes in India. This comes on the very first day of the monsoon session of the parliament this year. As we move towards the aspects of digital India, addressing these concerns are of utmost importance to safeguard the Indian Netizen.

The Issue

Tata Sky changed its name to Tata Play last year and has since then made its advent in the OTT sector as well. As the rebranding took place, the company was very cautious of anyone using the name Tata Sky in a bad light. Tata Play found that a lot of people on Linkedin had posted their work experience in Tata Sky for multiple years, as any new recruiter cannot verify the same. This poses a misappropriation of the brand’s name. This issue was reported to Linkedin multiple times by officials of Tata Play, but no significant action was seen. This led to an issue between the two brands; hence, a matter has been filed in front of the Hon’ble Delhi High Court to address the issue. The court has taken due cognisance of the issue, and hence in accordance with the Intermediary Guidelines 2021, the court has directed Linkedlin to provide the details of their Cheif Grievance Officer in the public domain and also to share the SoP for the redressal of issues and grievances. The guidelines made it mandatory for all intermediaries to set up a dedicated office in India and appoint a Chief Grievance Officer responsible for effective and efficient redressal of the platform-related offences and grievances within the stipulated period.

The job platform has also been ordered to share the SoPs and the various requirements and safety checks for users to create profiles over Linkedin. The policy of Linkedin is focused towards the users as well as the companies existing on the platform in order to create a synergy between the two.

RBI and Meity Official at Praliament

As we go deeper into cyberspace, especially after the pandemic, we have seen an exponential rise in cybercrimes. Based on statistics, 4 out of 10 people have been victims of cybercrimes in 2022-23, and it is estimated that 70% of the population has been subjected to direct or indirect cybercrime. As per the latest statistics, 85% of Indian children have been subjected to cyberbullying in some form or the other.

The government has taken note of the rising numbers of such crimes and threats, and hence the Parliamentary Committee has summoned the officials from RBI and the Ministery of Electronics and Information Technology to the parliament on July 20, 2023, i.e. the first day of monsoon session at the parliament. This comes at a very crucial time as the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill is to be tabled in the parliament this session and this marks the revamping of the legislation and regulations in the Indian cyberspace. As emerging technologies have started to surround us it is pertinent to create legal safeguards and practices to protect the Indian Netizen at large.

Conclusion

The legal crossroads between Tata Sky and Linkedin will go a long way in establishing the mandates under the Intermediary guidelines in the form of legal precedents. The compliance with the rule of law is the most crucial aspect of any democracy. Hence the separation of power between the Legislature, Judiciary and Execution has been fundamental in safeguarding basic and fundamental rights.  Similarly, the RBI and Meity officials being summoned to the parliament shows the transparency in the system and defines the true spirit of democracy., which will contribute towards creating a safe and secured Indian Cyberspace.

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"Cybercriminals are unleashing a surprisingly high volume of new threats in this short period of time to take advantage of inadvertent security gaps as organizations are in a rush to ensure business continuity.”

Cyber security firm Fortinet on Monday announced that over the past several weeks, it has been monitoring a significant spike in COVID-19 related threats.

An unprecedented number of unprotected users and devices are now online with one or two people in every home connecting remotely to work through the internet. Simultaneously there are children at home engaged in remote learning and the entire family is engaged in multi-player games, chatting with friends as well as streaming music and video. The cybersec firm’s FortiGuard Labs is observing this perfect storm of opportunity being exploited by cybercriminals as the Threat Report on the Pandemic highlights:

A surge in Phishing Attacks: The research shows an average of about 600 new phishing campaigns every day. The content is designed to either prey on the fears and concerns of individuals or pretend to provide essential information on the current pandemic. The phishing attacks range from scams related to helping individuals deposit their stimulus for Covid-19 tests, to providing access to Chloroquine and other medicines or medical device, to providing helpdesk support for new teleworkers.

Phishing Scams Are Just the Start: While the attacks start with a phishing attack, their end goal is to steal personal information or even target businesses through teleworkers. Majority of the phishing attacks contain malicious payloads – including ransomware, viruses, remote access trojans (RATs) designed to provide criminals with remote access to endpoint systems, and even RDP (remote desktop protocol) exploits.

A Sudden Spike in Viruses: The first quarter of 2020 has documented a 17% increase in viruses for January, a 52% increase for February and an alarming 131% increase for March compared to the same period in 2019. The significant rise in viruses is mainly attributed to malicious phishing attachments. Multiple sites that are illegally streaming movies that were still in theatres secretly infect malware to anyone who logs on. Free game, free movie, and the attacker is on your network.

Risks for IoT Devices magnify: As users are all connected to the home network, attackers have multiple avenues of attack that can be exploited targeting devices including computers, tablets, gaming and entertainment systems and even online IoT devices such as digital cameras, smart appliances – with the ultimate goal of finding a way back into a corporate network and its valuable digital resources.

Ransomware like attack to disrupt business: If the device of a remote worker can be compromised, it can become a conduit back into the organization’s core network, enabling the spread of malware to other remote workers. The resulting business disruption can be just as effective as ransomware targeting internal network systems for taking a business offline. Since helpdesks are now remote, devices infected with ransomware or a virus can incapacitate workers for days while devices are mailed in for reimaging.

“Though organizations have completed the initial phase of transitioning their entire workforce to remote telework and employees are becoming increasingly comfortable with their new reality, CISOs continue to face new challenges presented by maintaining a secure teleworker business model. From redefining their security baseline, or supporting technology enablement for remote workers, to developing detailed policies for employees to have access to data, organizations must be nimble and adapt quickly to overcome these new problems that are arising”, said Derek Manky, Chief, Security Insights & Global Threat Alliances at Fortinet – Office of CISO.