COAI Welcomes Government’s Initiatives to Strengthen Digital Security and Combat Cyber Fraud
Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI, said, “COAI welcomes the Government of India’s continued initiatives to strengthen digital security, enhance consumer protection and address the growing challenges of spam, scams, impersonation and cyber frauds across communication platforms. These initiatives reflect the Government’s proactive approach towards safeguarding citizens by strengthening digital security in an increasingly interconnected digital environment and reinforcing its commitment to building a secure and trusted digital ecosystem under the vision of Digital India.
As communication services continue to evolve and expand across traditional telecom networks and internet-based platforms, ensuring consistent security safeguards and accountability across the digital communications ecosystem has become increasingly important.
Licensed telecom operators have long operated under stringent obligations relating to subscriber verification, traceability, security and cooperation with authorised agencies. However,communications have increasingly migrated to internet-based platforms and Cyber criminals precisely exploit these gaps between technologies and regulatory frameworks. Therefore, a coordinated and technology-neutral approach towards security and accountability will strengthen the Government’s efforts to combat cybercrime.
COAI also believes that a balanced regulatory framework, with clearly defined responsibilities proportionate to the operational roles, technical capabilities and control of respective stakeholders, will promote effective implementation while encouraging innovation and growth across the digital ecosystem.
COAI has consistently supported the principle of ‘Same Service, Same Rules’, particularly where comparable communication services create comparable risks for consumers, and maintained that fraud follows the user, not the licence category. Recent Government initiatives are an important beginning and we anticipate further measures to ensure that spam, scams, impersonation and fraudulent communications are addressed consistently across telecom as well as app-based platforms. As India’s digital economy expands, citizens must have the confidence that the same commitment to security and accountability follows them wherever they communicate. A more secure digital ecosystem will ultimately strengthen consumer trust, innovation and Digital India itself.”
