03 Sep 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

E. Editorials

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. India’s cyber infrastructure

Syllabus: Awareness in IT & Computers

Mains: Issues with cyber security

Context: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has released its report ‘Crime In India 2021’ on cybercrime.

Introduction: 

• Any offences committed against individuals or groups of individuals to harm their reputation or cause physical or mental trauma through electronic means can be defined as Cybercrime.
• In India, cybercrime is increasing with the increased use of information and communication technology (ICT). 
• Internationally, both governmental and non-state actors engage in cybercrimes, including espionage, financial theft, and other cross-border crimes. 
• Cybercrimes crossing international borders and involving the actions of at least one nation-state are sometimes referred to as cyberwarfare.

Highlights of the report:

• As per the report, there has been a steady spike in cases of cybercrime in the last five years, from 12,317 cases in 2016 to 50,035 cases in 2020. 
• Over 70% of the cases were reported from Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Assam. 
• The average rate of cybercrime incidents is 3.9 per one lakh population. It is highest in Telangana at 27/lakh followed by Assam at 13.8/lakh population.
• Police probes with respect to cybercrime were completed only in about 33% of the registered cases.
• Major motives behind these crimes–Fraud in 60.8 percent of cases, sexual exploitation in 8.6 percent of cases and extortion in 5.4 percent of cases.
• A total of 15 cases of ‘cyber terrorism’ were lodged across the country in 2021.

Addressing the shortfall in cyberinfrastructure:

• Despite the steady spike in cybercrime cases, the capacity of the enforcement agencies to investigate cybercrime remains limited.
• There is no separate procedural code for the investigation of cyber-related offences. It is necessary to have a distinct code for electronic evidence as they are different in nature compared to traditional crimes.
  • Comprehensive guidelines issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards for the identification, collection, acquisition and preservation of digital evidence must be followed properly to ensure proper handling of digital evidence.
• There is a shortage of technical staff for the investigation of cybercrime.
  • A regular police officer can only act as a first responder who could identify digital evidence and secure the scene of the crime or preserve digital evidence. It is only a technically qualified staff who could acquire and analyse digital evidence.
  • The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 insists that offences registered under the Act should be investigated by a police officer, not below the rank of an inspector. 
• The cyber forensic laboratories of States must be upgraded with new technologies to augment the capacity to solve cybercrimes.
  • The Centre shall focus on upgrading the State laboratories by providing modernisation funds.
  • States should get their cyber labs notified as ‘Examiner of Electronic Evidence’ by the union government to enable them to provide expert opinions on electronic records. 
• ‘Data localisation’ provisions for all kinds of data shall be included in the proposed Personal Data Protection law to empower enforcement agencies for timely access to the data of suspected Indian citizens. 
  • Most cyber crimes are transnational in nature with extra-territorial jurisdiction. The collection of evidence from foreign territories is difficult and time-consuming.
• India must develop its own agency to identify and remove online Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Indian police still get reports on online CSAM from a non-profit agency in the U.S.

Conclusion: 

The primary responsibility to create the necessary cyberinfrastructure lies with States as ‘police’ and ‘public order’ come under State List. Legislation such as the IT Act puts further responsibility on the central government to evolve uniform statutory procedures for the enforcement agencies. 

Nut Graf: Despite the efforts and advances in cyber security much needs to be done to plug the infrastructural deficit. The Union government and State governments must work in coordination and frame statutory guidelines to facilitate the investigation of cybercrime and also need to commit sufficient funds to develop the required cyberinfrastructure.

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

Syllabus: Global Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India’s Interests

Mains: Nuclear disarmament treaties

Context: The 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was concluded recently. 

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons:

• It is an international treaty to limit the escalation of a nuclear arms race and the technology related to it. 
• It aims to promote cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and achieve complete nuclear disarmament.
• The NPT was negotiated during the 1960s to reconcile 3 objectives: 
  • Controlling the further spread of nuclear weapons beyond the permanent members of UNSC that had already tested;
  • Negotiating reductions of nuclear arsenals leading to their elimination; and 
  • Sharing benefits of peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology. 

Read more on NPT.

NPT’s success and weakness: 

• Only 4 of the ten review conferences have concluded with a consensus document.
• The recently concluded review conference also failed to conclude with a consensus document after 4 weeks of debate and discussion.
• In previous meetings, the three depositary states (the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia) stood together against the divergences over Iran, Israel, and West Asia. At the 2022 conference, Russia objected to critical references to its military control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
• The non-proliferation objective strongly supported by the nuclear-haves has been achieved in large measure. 
  • Only 04 more countries have gone on to test and develop nuclear arsenals — India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan.
• But the treaty failed to have meaningful discussions or negotiations on nuclear disarmament within its framework. 
• NPT also failed to bring down the collective arsenal of Russia and the U.S. 
  • In December 2001, the U.S. withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with the U.S.S.R. thereby ensuring mutual vulnerability in the bipolar era.
  • This led to the nuclear modernisation of Russia.
  • In 2019, the U.S. notified Russia of its decision to quit the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
  • The lapse of the START which expires in 2026 would mark the first time since 1968 that the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals would be unconstrained by any agreement.

Nuclear modernisation 

• The growing strategic rivalry between China, Russia and the U.S. is pushing the modernization plans for nuclear arsenals.
• The U.S.’s 30-year nuclear modernisation programme, intended to provide ‘credible deterrence against regional aggression’ is already underway. 
• Russia and China are developing hypersonic delivery systems, nuclear torpedoes and new cruise missiles. 
• Satellite imagery over China in 2021 revealed the development of at least three new missile storage sites. 

Other treaties on Nuclear weapons:

• The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons negotiated by the nuclear have-nots entered into force in January 2021. All 86 signatories are nuclear have-nots and parties to the NPT. 
  • It creates a new legal instrument and is committed to pushing for ‘stigmatising and de-legitimising’ nuclear weapons, condemning all nuclear threats.
• The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was opened for signature in September 1996. It obligates countries that sign and ratify “not to carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion.” It is yet to formally enter into force because the U.S. and China are yet to ratify it. 

Nut Graf: Developments in space and cyber technology are blurring the line between conventional and nuclear weapons, leading to nuclear entanglement. The rivalries in a multipolar nuclear world create new challenges, different from the challenges of the bipolar era when the NPT was concluded. Without addressing the new challenges, the NPT will weaken.

Q1. Consider the following statements with regards to Lumpy skin disease: 
(Level – Difficult)

Q2. Consider the following statements with respect to Languages in India: 
(Level – Easy)

Q3. Consider the following statements with regards to a community:(Level – Difficult)

Q4. Quad has the highest number of common members with which of the following 
groups? (Level – Medium)

Q5. When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning, you wake up and tap it 
to stop the alarm which causes your geyser to be switched on automatically. The 
smart mirror in your bathroom shows the day's weather and also indicates the level 
of water in your overhead tank. After you take some groceries from your refrigerator
 for making breakfast, it recognises the shortage of stock in it and places an order
 for the supply of fresh grocery items. When you step out of your house and lock the
 door, all lights, fans, geysers and AC machines get switched off automatically. On
 your way to office, your car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and suggests
 an alternative route, and if you are late for a meeting, it sends a message to your
 office accordingly. PYQ (2018)

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. Cyber warfare deserves as much attention from the Government as does the other orthodox warfare in today’s time. Elucidate. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS- 3; Security)
2. Assess the progress made by the Government of India in achieving its defense indigenization goal. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS- 3; Defence)