Cyber crimes posing huge challenge, agencies trying to improve face-recognition software, says Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: Cyber crimes are posing a big challenge to the security establishment, opined Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday. Singh, who inaugurated a three-day Defence and Homeland Security Expo and Conference 2018, said, “Security agencies are trying to obtain new software and improved face-recognition technology to enable them to dig deeper into social media about a criminal whose record is unavailable in the police database.” He further said that terrorists have been detected by the security agencies to be using dark internet for recruiting operatives. “Big criminals use it for buying and selling confidential information,” he added. [caption id=“attachment_4735591” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File Image of Home Minister Rajnath Singh. News18[/caption] The home minister also detailed about the new tech-edge that the country’s security agencies are looking forward to obtaining. Speaking about the concept of utilising social media for the identification of criminals, he said, “We can track criminals through the CCTV cameras. But at times, it is very difficult to identify and recognise them. We are trying that face recognition technology is better improved so that if a criminal is not identified by CCTV cameras, there should be a technology to get his face recognised. This is what we are trying… We are also trying that if there is no information about criminals in the CCTNS (crime and criminal tracking network system), we should have such software that can dig into the social media network and collate information about such elements.” Singh also spoke eloquently about effectively securing India’s 15,000-kilometre long land and 7000-kilometre sea border and talked of a soon to be inaugurated pilot project for laser fencing of Jammu and Kashmir border. He said, “We are testing laser fences, radars and non-physical barriers at other border locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Assam. The country’s borders need to be effectively secured. Organised crime and terrorism are the biggest challenges for us. We know that these elements are using new technology and sophisticated weapons. That is why technical upgrade and modernisation of the central and state police forces are necessary and these two should go together.” The home minister also applauded security forces and agencies for their work and stated that it was an achievement for the Central government that not even one major incident of terrorism has occurred in the country in past four years. He further recounted the efforts taken by his ministry to simplify the weapon, equipment and gadget sale for security forces to a two-tier system and said that in future if need be, more financial powers will be delegated to service chiefs as well. Singh also urged the defence manufacturing industry to hold discussions for simplifying and streamlining the process for obtaining production licenses.