India can't be guest member of EU Budapest Convention: Dr Gulshan Rai

The European Union (EU), which has been asking India to ratify the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, is not willing to clarify the concept of the international treaty created by the Council of Europe, a top government official said here on Friday.

"They are asking us to join the Budapest Convention. Let us join that but when we ask them kindly clarify the concept, European Union is not coming forward to do that," Dr Gulshan Rai, National Cyber Security Coordinator, said during the 11th Assocham Security Summit in the Capital.

The Convention on Cybercrime, also known as the Budapest Convention, is the first global treaty seeking to address Internet and cyber crime by harmonising national laws, improving investigative techniques and increasing cooperation among nations.

"They are the founder members, they will make the law and they will change the law. We can become a member but we cannot participate in making or changing the law," lamented Dr Rai.

Calling for the promotion of a comprehensive and balanced growth in the cyber security sector, he said: "We need to look at how we handle the industry so that we continue to progress as per the objective and intention with which the cyberspace has been created."

According to Dr Prasanna Mulgaonkar, CEO and Founder, Cloud Raxak, the summit brought together diverse viewpoints on the multifaceted nature of the cyber security landscape.

"From the international legal issues to technical challenges and the regulatory space, it's the kind of education that entire IT eco-system needs," Dr Mulgaonkar told the gathering.

Vidur Gupta, Partner, EY highlighted that cyber security should no longer be viewed as a function of information technology or information security alone.

"It should be reflected in each and every facet of the organisation, right from the strategy to the behaviour of an individual employee," he said.

--IANS

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