Expert group to tackle cyber crimes

The government has set up a committee to "comprehensively address" cyber crimes in the country.

This follows the arrest of Mehdi Masroor Biswas, the alleged pro-ISIS twitter handle operator from Bengaluru.

The five-member expert group will prepare a road map for tackling cyber crimes effectively, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Recently, various issues relating to cyber crimes have been flagged at various fora including Parliament. India with a fast-growing economy is susceptible to international and domestic cyber attacks and there is a need to ensure cyber crime-free environment. There has been a 40 per cent annual increase in cyber crimes registered in the country during the past two-three years," it said.

The group includes Rajat Moona, director-general of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing; Gulshan Rai, director-general of Indian Computer Emergency Response Team; Manindra Agrawal, professor of computer science at Indian Institute of Technology - Kanpur; and D Dass, professor at International Institute of Information Technology; Bengaluru. Kumar Alok, joint secretary (centre state) in the home ministry, will be the convenor of the committee.

The expert group's terms of reference includes recommending possible partnerships with public and private sectors, NGOs, international bodies, etc. .