National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has said that the gravity of cyber risks will increase exponentially with the advent of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data and Internet of Things. Speaking at the ‘Friends of BRICS’ meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 24, the NSA highlighted the need for collective efforts to deal with challenges emerging from cybersecurity.
“The Global South in particular needs to overcome limitations of resources. In this regard, India will always remain at the forefront and work closely with the Global South,” he said.
In the ‘Friends of BRICS’ meeting, the issue of cybersecurity was discussed at length. In addition to BRICS, the Friends of BRICS countries – Belarus, Burundi, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Cuba – participated in the discussions.
Doval underlined the connection between cyber criminals and terrorists, including the use of cyber space for financing, money laundering, radicalising, lone wolf attacks, recruitment, and secured communications. He said that the younger population was particularly vulnerable to the spread of extremist ideologies via social media websites, as they are technology savvy and have impressionable minds.
The NSA also held several bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS and Friends of BRICS countries.
