Suraksha Kawach App is Government’s people friendly Counter to Cyber Crime

I know many people who have been duped by fraudsters. These cyber-criminals cheat people in the name of giving higher returns from the Stock Market.

They operate through an App available only to those who become members and its use by members can be deactivated any time. Their fictitious Whatsapp numbers, the image of people running it and the certificates appear all real.

Many retired people, in particular, have become victims of such frauds and they have lost lakhs of Rupees to such investment. They had no reason to doubt since everything appeared to be so real. The problem started when they asked the network operator that they wanted to withdraw the money. The App would disappear or become inaccessible. The Whatapp number would not be real. People often do not complain to cybercrime cell of police fearing they would be further harassed or subjected to ridicule since they became fools for greed.

In the long run, this is bad for the market and the economy since these small investors are the bulwark of the financial market. If they don't turn-up, it could be difficult for companies to raise money and the financial market would become weak. Participation of small retail investors in the financial market shows the health of the economy.

If only had they installed the Suraksha Kawach Sanchar Saathi App in their smart phones! They could have known the real identify of the operators with their addresses. The chances of fraud would have minimized. Reporting of the crime would have been easier. And their hard-earned money would have been saved.

Many of us may not be aware that a network of more than 4.9 crore fake account across various platforms have been operating to perpetrate cyber-crime. They operate from foreign countries and target gullible Indians. Rampant fraud can be guessed by the fact that between 2024 and 2025, the Government of India deactivated more than 80 lakh fake SIM cards. These could be either lost SIM cards of people or procured using fake IDs. Most of these were procured using your ID. The government also blocked 6.78 lakh mobile numbers directly linked to cyber-crime.

Since digital is driving human existence now and fraudsters would devise new ways to cheat people, the Government must also catch up with the digital to tackle such crimes. Our police stations are yet to be fully equipped with new software, gadgets and new techniques that are used by fraudsters sitting in foreign countries. The Suraksha Kawach App should be seen in this context.

It is not that the App would bring cyber crime to Zero but would definitely save many people from falling prey. The user of the App would be able to know the real ID of the SIM using the whatsapp. He would be able to know if his ID has been used to procure a SIM. He would be able to report any message or communication from unknow source.

Moe than 42 lakhs mobile handsets have been either lost or stolen which means these can be misused easily. Linking International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) to an ID would help check misuse. Fearing harassment, many people do not report to police if a smart phone has been stolen or lost. The unique 15-digit code (IMEI code) helps phone companies identify the handsets and help mobile networks to identify and authenticate devices. These numbers can be used to immobile these devices. The App would help users to easily do this.

The second dimension of the App is its ability to apprehend those trying to disturb safety and security particularly those involved in terrorist activities. The trail of communication and establishment of identity would come in handy for security forces that also employ top IT professionals to track such crimes against the State.

I recall those days when we used to live under threat of bomb explosion every now and then. One was not safe anywhere and it appeared as if terrorists could run amok exploding bombs at will. Things have changed in recent years. Better investigation and alertness of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), apprehension of suspects and preventive action have saved the country. The recent bomb explosion in Delhi and the likely terror network that has been discovered demonstrated the alertness of the Agencies.

I at times laugh at those who talk of privacy in an age of digital network that surrounds us even as we walk. We talk with smart phone by our side and some spyware catches the sound and starts relaying advertisements about what we spoke. How is this possible if we are not being swooped? But we don't mind that since this is being done by foreign players such as Google or Facebook or Whatsapp.

But we would cry foul if the government comes out with a protective umbrella for citizens. We should never forget that after the Supreme Court judgment of 2017 no government would dare to violate the law of privacy unless it is fully justified and come under the category of 'reasonable restrictions'.

The nine judge bench of the Supreme Court that termed the Right to Privacy a Fundamental Right under Article 21 of the constitution. The judgment held that privacy includes 'protecting an individual's personal information, choices, dignity, and freedom from surveillance'.

Those who say that the App would be used as a surveillance software and would violate the right to Privacy should know that the government needs permission it wants surveillance. Merely getting access to data is no surveillance. Right to Privacy in comprehensive term is desirable and an Ideal Type for human civilisation. But for a society suffering from terrorism and all sorts of crime, a safer existence is not possible unless the State is vigilant.

I spoke to many people who are not a part of the ideological and political divide. They all said this was a good move and would safeguard them from cyber fraud.

Data is power and date must be authentic. This would help the government collect real time data reducing the possibility of fraud and enhancing better human management. Those who wish to carry out their nefarious activities and those who would like to run hawala operations and black money network would definitely oppose such a move.