India increasing data protection after US cyber snooping

India is working to enhance its data protection capacity and building better cyber and telephony infrastructure in the wake of concerns over cyber snooping by the US, parliament was told Wednesday.

Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. V.K. Singh (retd.), answering a question in the Lok Sabha on alleged snooping by US agencies, said that India has "raised its concerns with the US side, including at senior levels, on the reported authorization given to entities of the US government to intrude upon the privacy of communications of the Indian government, its citizens, and Indian entities".

The "US has noted that it fully respects and understands the feelings expressed by India in this regard. The US has also conveyed that US President Barack Obama has ordered a unique and unprecedented review of the US intelligence gathering and related activities," he said, according to an official statement.

The minister said the government is working to enhance its capacity to protect data and information flows by building better cyber and telephony infrastructure and by evolving new cyber and telecom security practices.