World Environment Day 2025: The Hidden Cost of Our Digital Lives

Introduction

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In today's era, where the threat from the digital world is growing rapidly, good developments in the war against cybercrimes cannot be ignored when they do happen. The state, which was notorious for being one of the most notorious criminal states in the country concerning digital crimes, has brought about remarkable changes in the law and order situation in the country in the last few years. According to the most recent data released by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Assam recorded only 408 cybercrimes in the year 2024, while the figure for the previous year was 909, which means a decline of over 55% in one year. But what is even more notable about the feat is the fact that, on the other hand, the country as a whole witnessed a rise of nearly 18% in the cybercrimes recorded. 

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 Assam's Cybercrime Journey

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To understand where Assam is today can only achieve this by understanding how far it has come. In 2021, it was ranked the 5^th highest state or union territory in India in the realm of cybercrime, with a staggering number of 4846 cases. The state kept the worrisome numbers continuing in the year 2022, as it ranked 9^th with 1,733 cases before sliding down to 13^th place in 2023 with 909 cases. However, the steep fall to a minuscule 408 cases in 2024 is an amazing narrative of how a state managed to completely eradicate the cybercrime infrastructure.

This is not a mere coincidence in statistics. This has proved to be a sustained, systematic operation by the law-enforcing agencies. Police sources say the decline is the result of consistent law enforcement action against cybercrime networks and the positive effect of awareness campaigns. Assam recorded 360 arrests under cybercrime-related offences and charge-sheeted 285 in the year 2024.

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The National Picture: A Troubling Contrast
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While the case of Assam is inspiring, the numbers on a pan-Indian level look bleak. India saw as many as 101,928 cybercrimes registered on its soil in the year 2024; a sharp rise from 2023, when 86,420 incidents had been reported. And it's not just in the number of cases that have seen an alarming rise; the economic implications are equally devastating. As many as 19.18 lakh complaints were lodged on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal in 2024. These complaints were an outcome of the financial losses to the tune of almost Rs 22,811.95 crore, according to a statement by the Home Ministry.

In 2024, the states that stood out at the top were Telangana (27,230), Karnataka (21,993), Uttar Pradesh (11,073), Maharashtra (9,922), and Bihar (6,380), among others. This clearly goes on to prove how the occurrences of cybercrime are not uniform across all states in the country due to various local and state-specific factors like the enforcement provided by state police forces, literacy levels of the general public, and the range of awareness campaigns carried out.

Even within Assam, the trend is not uniform, as almost every other Northeastern state has recorded a rise in cybercrimes this year, the figures being Arunachal Pradesh 24 to 78, Mizoram 31 to 50, Meghalaya 64 to 97, and Nagaland 2 to 14. It is only Tripura that saw a dip in reported cybercrimes, from 36 to 33. Considering these statistics, it becomes even more crucial to study and emulate Assam's success.
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The Drivers and Disrupters of Cybercrime
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It is in understanding how cybercrimes in Assam are committed that one might derive how these should be combatted. Of the 408 cases registered so far in 2024, 253 were registered for transmitting, or publishing, electronically, any obscene or sexually explicit material, and 115 cases were under computer-related offences. As for motive, they vary widely; 121 cases were registered out of revenge, 55 for fraud, 43 for extortion, and 42 for sexual exploitation. Sadly, out of 408 crimes reported so far in 2024, 196 victims are women, and 20 are children; in essence, the real impact is on society's most vulnerable.

This is a useful categorisation for the policymakers. It would not be beneficial if it were an all-encompassing strategy against cybercrimes when the motives and mechanisms behind them differ so widely. Customised campaigns educating women on cyberbullying, educating children on online security, and cautioning the public against online fraudulent schemes would be much more effective than general advice.

 On the national front, significant investments have been made by the central government for developing cybercrime-fighting infrastructure. Since the I4C was established in 2018, the launch of NCRP in 2019 provides a reporting and coordination framework against cybercrimes, and it is reported that over 5,489 crore have been saved by freezing illegal transactions, stemming from over 17.88 lakh complaints, through these platforms. Over 9.42 lakh SIM cards and 263,248 International Mobile Equipment Identities (IMEI) numbers have been blocked due to involvement in cybercrime.
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The Role of Awareness and Enforcement
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The biggest, and perhaps most transferable, lesson learned from Assam is the importance of both enforcement and awareness. Alone, neither proves useful: an enforcement operation without public knowledge leaves the public at risk for the next offence, while a purely informational approach gives criminals the license to proceed. Assam seems to have a more pragmatic approach; at least the statistics support this notion.

As the most persistent weakness, cyber hygiene is still a critical issue for India's cybersecurity. The core problem is the limited public knowledge on the importance of safer online practices, and it has been one of the primary hurdles to reducing crimes online; in instances where crimes were committed and reported, insufficient processes and infrastructure remained challenges in their investigation. Therefore, institutional investment in resources such as local police cyber cells and national coordinating agencies is an integral component to overcoming these challenges.z

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Conclusion
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By decreasing the rate of cybercrime in Assam by 55%, the successful combination of vigorous prosecution, constant pressure to uphold the law, and thorough public awareness campaigns has demonstrated a viable solution to ever-increasing online threats throughout India. Assam presents an attainable blueprint to diminish cybercrime, although the criminals of this evolving landscape cannot be constrained by individual state borders. To successfully achieve an e-economy that thrives on security and trust, India must adapt and expand the same law enforcement and awareness campaign strategies.

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References
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1. https://assamtribune.com/assam/assam-records-over-55-decline-in-cyber-crime-cases-in-2024-mha-1611895
   
   
2. https://ddnews.gov.in/en/cybercrime-complaints-cross-19-lakh-in-2024-97-drop-in-spoofed-calls-post-new-measures/
   
   
3. https://www.medianama.com/2025/08/223-india-cybercrime-500-percent-increase-2021-2024/
   
   
4. https://statista.com/topics/5054/cyber-crime-in-india‍
5. https://i4c.mha.gov.in
   

Cyber, is the new weapon today! Cyber Violence is violence in cyber-space that has led to violation of cyber rights of individuals, especially those of children and women. Online violence and harassment have been overlooked laying more emphasis on offline or physical violence.

New Delhi [India], November 12 (ANI/NewsVoir): Cyber, is the new weapon today! Cyber Violence is violence in cyber-space that has led to violation of cyber rights of individuals, especially those of children and women. Online violence and harassment have been overlooked laying more emphasis on offline or physical violence. Cyber violence very often permanently, psychologically impacts the victims and their families. Various forms of threats ranging from morphing, stalking, solicitation of children for sexual purposes, online grooming, have grave consequences on the victims disturbing their mental well-being. Maintaining mental well-being in cyber space is a challenge we wish to promote and advocate for, in order to build responsible netizens.

Together, we stand against violation of cyber rights and strongly believe; it is critical to allow everyone to feel safe online. Netizen’s safety rights must be protected from all kinds of abuse and violence. Setting a mission of ‘Making India Cyber Safe for Children and Women’, Responsible Netism a social purpose organization in association with CyberPeace Foundation, an award-winning Cyber Security think tank working towards bringing CyberPeace in CyberSpace for more than two decades, host its 6th Annual National Conference on Cyber Psychology themed “India Fights Cyber Violence”, scheduled for Saturday, January 22, 2022. Ta advocate on the theme, the campaign #IndiaFightsCyberViolence was launched on November 11, 2021 by Vinay Sahasrabuddhe – President ICCR, Member of Parliament, Priyank Kanoongo – Chairperson, NCPCR and Rekha Sharma, Chairperson NCW at the ICCR Auditorium Delhi. The session was also attended by the CyberPeace Foundation team members.

Vinay Sahasrabuddhe has been a strong advocate of online safety of children, he shared his visionary words and focused on 3 R’s, Research, Reform and Reshape. He recommended extensive research was necessary to strongly voice concerns and remedies based on evidence-based research which would help us reform intervention strategies and the reshape the existing framework to best suit the needs to protect women and children in cyber space. The NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma shared how critical it is to create awareness about online safety rights of women and reiterated the need for spreading awareness about online safety to reach the last mile in order to build collective action and bring change. She also mentioned the need to conducting nationwide trainings for the police personal to handle and report online distress.

Priyank Kanoongo, the Chairperson of NCPCR has been very proactively advocating for the cause of child online protection and has been instrumental in voicing critical in fiercely voicing his thoughts on protecting online safety rights of children across India. He shared the following thoughts at the launch. He said there is dire need to educate parents about online safety in order to let the information trickle down to their children. He said NCPCR does not hold any inhibitions in naming and shaming violators of child rights be it offline or online and will always raise a strong voice against platform ‘s inability to protect children in cyber space.

Vineet Kumar, Founder and Global President, CyberPeace Foundation, the partnering organization shared that this nationwide movement will build great momentum on the cause of online protection of children and women cross the country and urged organizations across India to pledge their support to the cause. The more people joining this movement would build collective pressure to formulate guidelines and policies the make cyber space safe for children and women. Sonali Patankar – Founder Responsible Netism shared the objective of the campaign was to let online safety reach the last mile and build on aggressive reporting of online content. The movement was an effort to make the campaign India Fights Cyber Violence to make India cyber safe for children.

She shared that the campaign launch would be followed by a nationwide research conducted to understand parents perspectives on cyber violence which would be handy in representing recommendations on women and child safety protocols through commoners. There would be a round table for organizations working with children chaired by Priyank Kanoongo on November 22 followed by a round table held for organizations working with Women chaired by Rekha Sharma Madam on December 22, 2021. The campaign would culminate in the Responsible Netism 6th National Cyber Psychology Conference scheduled for January 22, 2022 that would witness a compilation of the research and the work done throughout the campaign.

The launch was attended by Sujay Patki – Social Activist and Advisor Responsible Netism and Shilpa Chandolikar trustee Responsible Netism, Adv Khushbu Jain Advocate Supreme Court of India followed by the vote of thanks by Unmesh Joshi – Co-founder Responsible Netism. With the success of the launch and the support of NCPCR and NCW, we are sure to make this a nation-wide movement to protect cyber safety rights of netizens and strongly believe in collective action to make India Cyber Safe for Women and Children.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Source: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/1804283-cyberpeace-foundation-and-responsible-netism-launches-campaign-india-fights-cyber-violence-against-women-and-children

On March 02, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration unveiled the National Cybersecurity Plan to ensure that all Americans can enjoy the advantages of a secure digital environment. In this pivotal decade, the United States will reimagine cyberspace as a tool to achieve our goals in a way that is consistent with our values. These values include a commitment to economic security and prosperity, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, faith in our democracy and its institutions, and a commitment to creating a fair and diverse society. This goal cannot be achieved without a dramatic reorganisation of the United States’ cyberspace responsibilities, roles, and resources.

VISION- AIM

A more planned, organised, and well-resourced strategy to cyber protection is necessary for today’s rapidly developing world. State and non-state actors alike are launching creative new initiatives to challenge the United States. New avenues for innovation are opening up as next-generation technologies attain maturity and digital interdependencies are expanding. Thus, this Plan lays forth a plan to counter these dangers and protect the digital future. Putting it into effect can safeguard spending on things like infrastructure, clean energy, and the re-shoring of American industry.

The USA will create its digital environment by:

• Defensible if the cyber defence is comparatively easier, more effective, cheaper
• Resilient, where the impacts of cyberattacks and operator mistakes are lasting and little widespread.
• Values-aligned, where our most cherished values shape—and are in turn reinforced by— our digital world.

Already, the National Security Strategy, Executive Order 14028 (Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity), National Security Memorandum 5 (Improving Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Control Systems), M-22-09 (Moving the U.S. Government Toward Zero-Trust Cybersecurity Principles), and National Security Memorandum 10 (Improving Cybersecurity for Federal Information Systems) have all been issued to help secure cyberspace and our digital ecosystem (Promoting United States Leadership in Quantum Computing While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable Cryptographic Systems). The Strategy builds upon previous efforts by acknowledging that the Internet serves not as an end in itself but as a means to a goal—the achievement of our highest ideals.

There are five key points that constitute the National Cybersecurity Strategy:

1. Defend Critical Infrastructure –

Defend critical infrastructure by, among other things: i) enacting cybersecurity regulations to secure essential infrastructure; (ii) boosting public-private sector collaboration; (iii) integrating federal cybersecurity centres; (iv) updating federal incident response plans and processes; and (v) modernising federal systems in accordance with zero trust principles.

2. Disrupt and Dismantle Threat Actors

Disrupt and dismantle threat actors, including by i) integrating military, diplomatic, information, financial, intelligence, and law enforcement competence, (ii) strengthening public-private sector collaborations, (iii) increasing the speed and scale of intelligence sharing and victim information, (iv) preventing the abuse of U.S.-based infrastructure, and (v) increasing disruption campaigns and other endeavours against ransomware operators;

3. Shape Market Forces to Drive Security and Resilience

The federal government can help shape market forces that drive security and resilience by doing the following: i) supporting legislative efforts to limit organisations’ ability to collect, use, transfer, and maintain personal information and providing strong protections for sensitive data (such as geolocation and health data), (ii) boosting IoT device security via federal research, development, sourcing, risk management efforts, and IoT security labelling programs, and (iii) instituting legislation establishing standards for the security of IoT devices. (iv) strengthening cybersecurity contract standards with government suppliers, (v) studying a federal cyber insurance framework, and (vi) using federal grants and other incentives to invest in efforts to secure critical infrastructure.

4. Invest in a Resilient Future

Invest in a resilient future by doing things like i) securing the Internet’s underlying infrastructure, (ii) funding federal cybersecurity R&D in areas like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, telecommunications, and data analytics used in critical infrastructure, (iii) migrating vulnerable public networks and systems to quantum-resistant cryptography-based environments, and (iv) investing hardware and software systems that strengthen the resiliency, safety, and security of these areas, (v) enhancing and expanding the nation’s cyber workforce; and (vi) investing in verifiable, strong digital identity solutions that promote security, interoperability, and accessibility.

5. Forge International Partnerships to Pursue Shared Goals

The United States should work with other countries to advance common interests, such as i) forming international coalitions to counter threats to the digital ecosystem; (ii) increasing the scope of U.S. assistance to allies and partners in strengthening cybersecurity; (iii) forming international coalitions to reinforce global norms of responsible state behaviour; and (v) securing global supply chains for information, communications, and operational technologies.

Conclusion:

The Strategy results from months of work by the Office of the National Cyber Director (“ONCD”), the primary cybersecurity policy and strategy advisor to President Biden and coordinates cybersecurity engagement with business and international partners. The National Security Council will oversee the Strategy’s implementation through ONCD and the Office of Management and Budget.

In conclusion, we can say that the National Cybersecurity Plan of the Biden administration lays out an ambitious goal for American cybersecurity that is to be accomplished by the end of the decade. The administration aims to shift tasks and responsibilities to those organisations in the best position to safeguard systems and software and to encourage incentives for long-term investment in cybersecurity to build a more cyber-secure future.

It is impossible to assess the cyber strategy in a vacuum. It’s critical to consider the previous efforts and acknowledge the ones that still need to be made. The implementation specifics for several aspects of the approach are left up to a yet-to-be-written plan.

Given these difficulties, it would be simple to voice some pessimism at this stage regarding the next effort that will be required. Yet, the Biden administration has established a vision for cybersecurity oriented towards the future, with novel projects that could fundamentally alter how the United States handles and maintains cybersecurity. The Biden administration raised the bar for cybersecurity by outlining this robust plan, which will be challenging for succeeding administrations to let go. Also, it has alerted Congress to areas where it will need to act.

References:

• https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/02/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-national-cybersecurity-strategy/
• https://www.huntonprivacyblog.com/2023/03/02/white-house-releases-national-cybersecurity-strategy/
• https://www.lawfareblog.com/biden-harris-administration-releases-new-national-cybersecurity-strategy