Govt introduces new programs to combat cybercrime and the improper use of telecom resources

The "Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP)" and the "Chakshu" feature on the Sanchar Saathi portal are the two new projects that the Ministry of Communications (MoC) has introduced.The Chakshu facility is an initiative enabling citizens to proactively report suspected fraudulent communication, the MoC said on Monday. Meanwhile, the Department of Telecommunications' (DoT) DIP is for coordination among stakeholders to curb the misuse of telecom resources in cyber-crime and financial frauds.

Under the direction of Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, and Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Communications, Railway, Electronics, and Information Technology, the introduction of these new tools intends to improve stakeholder coordination and enable citizens to report suspected fraudulent communications.

Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said,“We compliment the Ministry of Communications and DoT on the launch of the Chakshu application today, which is a pathbreaking initiative to help mitigate the increasing number of cyber frauds in today’s fast-growing digital era. We firmly believe that critical issues like cyber frauds require all stakeholders to work together to truly make an impact on the ground. Today’s initiative would help channelize our citizens to come on a single platform led by the Government and actively contribute by sharing knowledge to help prevent such undesired and malicious activities. We are optimistic that the people will immensely benefit from this initiative and COAI will wholeheartedly promote and support this initiative to benefit all telecom consumers.”

A secure and integrated platform, the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) facilitates real-time intelligence sharing between telecom service providers (TSPs), law enforcement agencies (LEAs), financial institutions (FIs), social media platforms, identification document issuing organizations, and other relevant parties. Through information sharing and cooperation across partners, the portal seeks to combat financial fraud and cybercrime. Citizens are unable to utilize the DIP platform.

At the same time, users of the Sanchar Saathi portal can report suspected fraudulent communications they received over WhatsApp, SMS, or phone calls using the Chakshu feature. It includes a variety of fraudulent activities, such as impersonating a government official or a relative to send money, updating bank accounts, payment wallets, SIM cards, gas and electricity connections, sextortion, and the Department of Telecommunications disconnecting all mobile numbers. The newest feature added to the services currently offered on the DoT's Sanchar Saathi portal is Chakshu.

The Sanchar Saathi website (sancharsaathi.gov.in) provides users with a number of facilities. Among these are the tools to verify mobile connections made in their name and report any unlawful or pointless connections for disconnecting. Additionally, users have the option to report missing or stolen mobile devices for tracking and blocking. 

When buying new or used mobile devices, users can also utilize the portal to confirm the validity of the phones. Additionally, it offers information on authorized wireline Internet service providers and allows users to report incoming foreign calls with Indian phone numbers as caller identification.