These platforms will enable citizens to report any wrongful disconnections of their connections and coordinate with relevant authorities
The Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has recently launched two new online platforms aimed at combating cybercrime and financial frauds. These initiatives come under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and mark a significant step in enhancing digital security measures.
The first of these platforms, known as the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), serves as a backend system facilitating real-time information sharing among various stakeholders. This includes law enforcement agencies, financial institutions like banks and PhonePe, telecom service providers, and social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram. With DIP in place, when a fraudulent activity is detected involving a particular phone number, it is swiftly shared with all relevant parties, leading to the blocking of that number across multiple platforms.
While the DIP primarily operates behind the scenes and isn’t accessible to the general public, the second platform, named Chakshu, is integrated into the Sanchar Saathi portal. This portal allows users to report suspicious communications they receive via calls, SMS, or WhatsApp. Upon receiving such reports, the system prompts the complainant to re-verify their number. If this verification fails, the number in question is disconnected, adding an extra layer of security.
Moreover, the DoT is actively working on establishing a grievance redressal portal. This platform will enable citizens to report any wrongful disconnections of their connections and coordinate with relevant authorities, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Department of Financial Services, to return frozen funds to affected individuals.
The Sanchar Saathi portal, launched in May 2023, has already proven its effectiveness in safeguarding digital transactions. With various features such as the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) for reporting lost or stolen mobile phones and the Telecom Analytics for Fraud Control and Consumer Protection (TAFCOP) for monitoring common KYC connections, the portal has facilitated the disconnection of over 10 million mobile connections for various reasons. Furthermore, through CEIR, approximately 1.4 million lost or stolen handsets have been blocked, and details of 700,000 recovered handsets have been shared with state governments.
These initiatives highlights the government’s commitment to enhance cybersecurity measures and protecting citizens against digital threats in an increasingly connected world.