New Cyber Espionage Program in India

New Cyber Espionage Program in India

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Using the “wrong words” on the internet may put people in trouble, especially true in India.

18640833_mUse of words like ‘attack’, ‘bomb’, ‘blast’ or ‘kill’ in tweets, status updates, emails or blogs may bring you under surveillance of security agencies as the government will soon launch ‘Netra’, an internet spy system capable of detecting suspicious messages.

The Indian Home Ministry is putting the finishing touches to ‘Netra’, which will be deployed by all security agencies to capture any dubious voice traffic passing through software like Skype or Google Talk, as well asthrough write-ups in tweets, status updates, emails, instant messaging transcripts, internet calls, blogs and forums.

According to the Economic Times, the ‘Netra’ internet spy system has been developed by the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), a lab under Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

“The specifications of the ‘Netra’ system can be taken as a done deal after tests which will be carried out by the Intelligence Bureau and Cabinet Secretariat, and can be considered for providing multiple user access to security agencies,” a Home Ministry note on Netra says.

“When Netra is operational, security agencies will get a big handle on monitoring activities of dubious people and organizations which use internet to carry out their nefarious designs,” a government official said.