6th cyber dialogue: India, UK agree to deepen ties, build robust cyberspace

India and the United Kingdom have agreed to deepen cooperation between their cyber agencies in order to build a safe and robust cyberspace, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

The Sixth Cyber Dialogue between the two sides was held here on Wednesday.

"Discussions during the dialogue included cyber-threat assessment, internet governance, data protection, protection of critical infrastructure, capacity building and cooperation in multilateral fora, including the latest developments in the cyber realm at the United Nations," according to a statement issued by the MEA.

"Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation between their respective cyber agencies in order to build a safe and robust cyberspace," the statement said.

The dialogue was co-chaired by Amit A Shukla, Joint Secretary, Cyber Diplomacy Division, MEA, and Kat Jones, Head of Strategy and Engagement, Cyber Policy Department, The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK.

The Indian delegation consisted of officials from the MEA, Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), CERT-In and National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC), the statement said.

The delegation from the UK comprised officials from the National Cyber Security Centre, Cyber Policy Department of the FCDO and representatives of the Cyber Policy Team of the British High Commission, it added.