New Delhi, Feb 10 (.) India must strengthen the three pillars of cyberspace — people, process and technology — to ensure a safer and more inclusive internet, Sanjay Bahl, Director General of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), said on Tuesday here.
Addressing the Safer Internet India Summit, Bahl said, “Cybersecurity efforts need to focus not only on advanced technologies but also on building awareness and strengthening institutional processes.”
He highlighted key government initiatives such as Cyber Swachhta Kendras and the CASK platform, which aim to enhance digital safety for children and educational institutions by leveraging agentic artificial intelligence systems.
The Summit coincided with Safer Internet Day, observed globally on the second Tuesday of February each year, and brought together stakeholders from government, industry, academia and civil society to deliberate on ways to make the internet safer for all sections of society.
The discussions focused on emerging online risks, trust and safety frameworks, and the need for collaborative solutions across sectors.
Himanshu Gupta, Secretary of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), underlined the importance of shared responsibility among parents, students and educators in ensuring child online safety. He said safeguarding children in the digital space requires coordinated efforts both at home and within educational institutions.
Titled “A Better Internet for All”, the Summit saw participation from over 300 trust and safety professionals, lawyers, academics, public officials and subject experts. Discussions highlighted how online safety challenges vary across different demographics and socio-economic groups in India.
Officials from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) detailed their efforts to detect and investigate financial crimes linked to online scams and cyber fraud. They emphasised the growing importance of data analysis and inter-agency cooperation in tackling cyber-enabled financial crimes.
Vasud Torsekar, Additional Director at the FIU, said cybercrimes had increased significantly in the post-COVID period, prompting enhanced data-sharing between government bodies, including the Department of Telecommunications and the FIU. She also highlighted the FIU’s public-private partnership framework aimed at tracking and preventing financial crimes in cyberspace.
The Summit concluded with a strong emphasis on multi-stakeholder collaboration as a critical factor in strengthening trust, safety and resilience across India’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem.
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