Page 7 - It Ministry

Digital India Bill: Aadhaar likely to be default e-ID of citizens

The government is also likely to have sweeping powers to track, monitor, intercept, moderate and take down online content under the new law

IT ministry puts plan to form self-regulatory body for gaming on hold

BS had reported that if the ministry finds that big players are backing SRBs and that the bodies lack independence, certification of games will be considered instead of self-regulation

DPDP Act: Firms in disarray, seek more time, clarity for implementation

Companies feel that the "timelines are too short," as the new DPDP Act will require a complete overhaul of their entire internal systems

Govt may shelve self-regulation plan if egames majors dominate SRBs

SRBs must have experts in education, psychology, and child rights, according to government

Govt forms committee for modernisation of Mohali semiconductor plant

The IT ministry aims to make SCL into a research and development-led Center of Excellence with semiconductor R&D capabilities

Children addicted to social media, user age limit needed: Karnataka HC

The court noted that some content should not only be banned from the social media but from the internet

IT hardware companies may be asked to register for imports in FY24: Report

This comes a month after the DGFT announced that the import of certain IT hardware products, including laptops, tablets, PCs, servers, etc., would fall under the restricted category

Google Cloud partners with CERT-In to train govt officials in cybersecurity

Google Cloud on Thursday announced its partnership with the government's computer emergency response unit CERT-In to train 1,000 government officials and provide 1 lakh cybersecurity certificate scholarships to learners. CERT-In is part of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which deals with cybersecurity threats, hacking and other cyber related issues. The 'cyber force' of government officials will be trained in cyber defence best practices, including use of generative AI, and conducting cybersecurity AI hackathons led by Google Cloud and Mandiant experts, the American technology giant said in a statement. CERT-In Director General Sanjay Bahl said, "Cybersecurity is the cornerstone of our digital future, and harnessing the power of generative AI will help to stay ahead in this ever-evolving landscape. The collaboration will ameliorate and crank up the generation of skilled manpower in the area of cybersecurity and generative AI in our country." Google .

Consultation on Digital India legislation to commence soon: MoS IT

The government will soon commence consultation on Digital India legislation that will outline the framework for regulation of emerging technologies, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Thursday. India is "aware" of its responsibilities as largest connected democracy in the world, Chandrasekhar who is Minister of State for Electronics and IT, said citing ways in which India had leveraged digital technologies for inclusiveness. "We will soon be commencing our consultation on Digital India Act where the framework on how we believe user harm and emerging technologies will be regulated, will be laid out for consultation...that is a good time for everybody to come in and participate," the minister told PTI on the sidelines of Economist Impact B20 Forum. Earlier today, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, in a blog, had said India, as current holder of G20 Presidency, is "well positioned" to help advance a global discussion on AI issues. Smith had advocated broader legal

Joint call for proposal under MeitY-NSF research collaboration announced

The IT Ministry has announced the first joint call for proposals under the MeitY- National Science Foundation research collaboration, an official release said on Monday. Proposals in the areas of semiconductor research, next-generation communication technologies/networks/systems, cyber-security, sustainability and green technologies and Intelligent Transportation Systems will be considered, under this. The "Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced its first joint call for proposals under the MeitY- National Science Foundation (NSF) research collaboration," the release said. MeitY-NSF signed an Implementation Arrangement (IA) on research collaboration in May 2023. "This MeitYNSF collaborative research opportunity focuses specifically upon discoveries and innovations in areas of mutual interest as highlighted in the Joint Statement made by Government of India and USA during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in June 2023," the release said. Th

Need to collaborate on digital security to contain risks: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the global interconnectedness has created shared security risks requiring the urgent need to collaborate on digital security. Addressing the G20 Digital Economy Working Group Ministers Meet, Vaishnaw said three priority areas have been selected by the Indian presidency for the digital economy Working Group, which will help in the democratisation of technology. "Global interconnectedness creates shared security risks. Therefore the need to collaborate on digital security has become more urgent," the Minister, who holds Railways, Electronics and IT portfolios, said. Appreciating the efforts of the digital economy working group of G20, he said the group has been diligently engaged in discussions for steering the member nations towards common ground. In this context, Vaishnaw said, "The three priority areas selected by the Indian presidency for the digital economy Working Group are digital public infrastructure (DPI), security in the ...

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Open to Chinese investments despite border clashes: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Chandrasekhar also said that the tightening of foreign investments did not target China and it applied to other neighbouring countries as well

Centre issues directions for blocking 3,470 URLs this year: MoS IT

The central government issued directions for blocking 3,470 URLs in 2023 under provisions of the IT Act, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Section 69A of the IT Act provides power to the central government to issue directions to block any information if it is necessary to do so in the interest of sovereignty and integrity, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order, Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. "The Central Government has issued directions for blocking of 6,096, 6,775 and 3,470 URLs in the year 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively," the minister added. He was specifically replying to a question on orders served by the government to social media platforms to take down content, hampering the digital safety of citizens since 2021. The policies of the government are aimed at ensuring an open, safe and trusted and accountable internet for all digital nagriks, he said. The IT

HCLTech joins Meta, IT ministry programme to help India XR start-ups

Programme helps companies working in augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality

Startups in India to grow tenfold in next 4-5 years: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Hailing India's remarkable progress in building unicorns and startups, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar prophesised that the next 4-5 years will witness substantial growth for such enterprises and the startups in the country will increase by 10 times. Speaking at the JITO Incubation Innovation Foundation (JIIF) Sixth Foundation Day and Investors/Startup Conclave in Hyderabad, the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and IT, highlighted India's remarkable progress in creating unicorns and startups, how they have successfully entered areas in emerging technologies such as AI, Web3, and deep tech, an official release said on Sunday. The Minister, who engaged with industry leaders and aspiring young entrepreneurs, emphasised the transformative journey India has embarked upon since 2014. From being predominantly focussed on IT and ITes, the next 4-5 years will witness substantial growth for startups and unicorns, Chandrasekhar said during

Vaishnaw calls for joint global, national efforts for cybersecurity

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday called for coordinated cybersecurity efforts and strategies at global, national and organisational levels to protect cyberspace and societies, as he emphasised the need for shared solutions to tackle the challenges, being compounded by new technologies like AI. The minister exhorted G20 member countries to come together and think through these challenges, share solutions and tools, and "co-operate across boundaries". Citing platforms like UPI, ONDC and CoWIN, the minister said that India with its robust digital public infrastructure has ensured true democratisation of technology for the benefit of its people. "We have seen in many parts of the world, technology has been cornered by a few big-tech companies...is that the right model for a country, democracy or society which is evolving so fast?" Vaishnaw said asserting that India has been clear in its approach on democratising technology to ensure it is inclusive, accessible to all, and not ...

Parliamentary committee to hear RBI, IT ministry on cyber related crimes

A parliamentary committee examining the issue of cyber security and rising incidents of cyber crimes has summoned officials of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Electronics and Information Technology Ministry later this month to seek their views. The panel has already quizzed representatives of several tech majors on the issue. The parliamentary committee on Finance headed by BJP's Jayant Sinha has called RBI and MeitY officials on July 20, the first day of the Monsoon session. On the same day, it also called representatives of Google India separately on the same issue. In its last meeting, the panel had summoned representatives of Punjab National Bank and tech majors Google, Apple and Paytm to hear them on cyber security and rising cases of cyber and white-collar crimes. The issue was at the centre of deliberations at a meeting of the panel held last month too as experts from the industry were quizzed by lawmakers about various facets of unlawful activities, including fraud

Bihar police seek ban on over 100 gambling, gaming and illegal loan apps

Bihar police has approached the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) seeking a ban on more than 100 gambling/gaming and loan lending apps that are allegedly engaged in money laundering and pose a threat to the financial security of the country. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar police recently approached MeitY urging it to ban more than 100 such apps, Nayyar Hasnain Khan, Additional Director General (ADG) of EOU (Bihar police) told PTI on Saturday. "The decision was taken after confirming that these apps attract Section 69 of the Information Technology (IT) Act as they contain materials which is prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India. Several complaints had been received of extortion and harassment from people who had borrowed very small amounts through such loan lending apps," Khan said. Section 69A of IT Act empowers the government to restrict access to any online content to protect the interest of sovereignty and integrity of the natio

Karnataka HC imposes a fine of Rs 50 lakh on Twitter for non-compliance

The court has also refused Twitter's request to stay the Centre's orders to block some accounts on its platform with tweets related to coronavirus and farmers' protests