Why in News?

• Recently, reports came out which alleged that a Telegram bot had access to the documents submitted for vaccination purposes which includes Aadhaar, PAN card, and passport numbers of individuals.
• In a similar incident, in 2021, a bot on the platform was found selling phone numbers pulled from Facebook.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About Telegram Bots (Platform, Meaning, Uses, Misuses, etc.)
• India’s Cyber Security Mechanism (Statistics, Laws related to it, Institutions involved)

What is Telegram?

• Telegram is an open-source API (Application Programming Interface) messaging platform service launched in 2013.
• The platform allows developers to create their own apps and use the free-to-use API to develop specialised tools, like bots, to integrate services.
• The platform currently has over 700 million monthly active users.
• It is known for supporting file shares of up to 2GB, stored on the cloud that can be accessed from different devices.

What are Telegram Bots?

• Bots are computer programs that act as agents of a user or another computer program.
• Bots on Telegram are small applications that run entirely within the platform and can be designed to support any kind of task or service.
• Bots on Telegram can host full Web Apps and can be designed to support everything from online stores to arcade games.
• Additionally, they can also be designed to make it easier for users to access information held within large databases they are connected to.
• Bots are listed on the platform as special accounts that do not require a phone number to set up and are connected to the owner’s server which processes input and requests from users.

What is the Use of Bots on Telegram?

• Bots are usually used in professional areas for smart communication and pulling information from defined databases.
• Users can send commands to bots that they respond to with relevant information or perform tasks they are designed to do.
• For example, if a user does not wish to open their email app to check their messages, they can use a bot to check their email within the Telegram app.
• Users can also authorise bots to respond to emails from the Telegram app.

Are Bots on Telegram Safe?

• While Telegram encourages developers to create bots that comply with its terms of service, not all bots may be secure and some can pose security risks.
• Bots may collect user data, including personal information and chat history and users should read the terms of service and privacy policy to understand how individual bots handle user data.
• Bots can also be created by threat actors to contain malicious content, such as links to phishing websites or malware.
• Threat actors can also distribute bots to scam users, promising rewards or discounts on purchases to lure users into sharing their personal data.
• Some bots could have security vulnerabilities that can be used by threat actors to compromise the security of users.

India’s Cyber Security Mechanism:

• As per the government data presented in the Parliament, nearly 1.16 million cases of cyber-attacks in India were reported in 2020, marking an average of 3,137 cyber security issues reported every day of the year.
• The Internet Crime Report by the FBI revealed that India is ranked third in the world among the top 20 countries being victimized by cyber-crimes.
• At present, India does not have any dedicated cyber security law.

Laws Related to Cyber Security in India:

• Information Technology Act, 2000 –
  • As of now, the only law applicable to such a mechanism is the Information Technology Act, 2000.
  • The Act provides legal recognition and protection for transactions carried out through electronic data and other means of electronic communication.
  • It also focuses on information security, defines reasonable security practices to be followed by corporates and redefines the role of intermediaries, recognizes the role of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).
  • The IT Act not only extends to the whole of India, but it is also applicable to any offence or contravention committed outside India by any person.
• National Cyber Security Policy (2013) –
  • National Cyber Security Policy is a policy framework by Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).
  • It aims at protecting the public and private infrastructure from cyber-attacks.
  • The policy also intends to safeguard “information, such as personal information (of web users), financial and banking information and sovereign data”.

Institutions Involved in Cyber Security:

• Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) –
  • CERT-In has been operational since 2004.
  • It is an office within the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
  • It is the nodal agency to deal with cyber security threats like hacking and phishing. It strengthens security-related defence of the Indian Internet domain.
  • In the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008, CERT-In has been designated to serve as the national nodal agency to perform various functions in the area of cyber security.
• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) –
  • Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre is an initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to combat cyber-crime in the country, in a coordinated and effective manner.
  • It acts as a nodal point in the fight against cybercrime.
  • The scheme was approved in October 2018 with a proposed amount of Rs. 415.86 crore.
  • The centre is located in New Delhi.
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal –
  • It is a citizen-centric initiative which will enable citizens to report cybercrimes online and all the complaints will be accessed by the concerned law enforcement agencies for taking action as per law.
  • The portal was launched on a pilot basis in August, 2019