Fake videos on social media posing risk to country: Jitendra Singh

Cyber manipulators are circulating fake videos on social media which is posing a risk to the country, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said Thursday, highlighting the scenario after the withdrawal of the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the first National Conference on Cybercrime Investigation and Forensics, organised by the CBI, the minister said the study of cybercrime is important for India, keeping in mind that India has a huge population and that India has the second-largest internet users in the world.

He further said the nature of crime also evolves with the evolution of society, which makes it essential on the part of investigative agencies to evolve their techniques.

"Speaking about the recent developments in the country, Dr Singh said that we are in the post-Article 370 abrogation scenario. He expressed concern over the fact that the cyber manipulators are posing risk to the nation by circulating fake videos on the social media, which needs to be addressed," a government statement said.

Singh said the thrust of the government has been on clarity in fight against terrorism and decisive actions have been taken in this regard.

He said that centralised technology vertical worth Rs 99 crore will be operational by next year which will help in getting real-time information for the benefit of investigators.

CBI Director R K Shukla said the conference is a platform for state police and enforcement agencies to share their best practices and to replicate them.

He said cybercrime has become a global phenomena now and this conference will be an enriching experience for the agencies working at the grassroots level.

The two-day conference was inaugurated by the CBI Director on Wednesday and it is being attended by around 50 officers, including SPs and chiefs of various police forces.