NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday called upon the government department concerned and the Information Technology industry to work together to tighten cyber security laws.

Chairing a meeting here to review the steps taken by the Government and the industry to tackle cyber crime, he underlined the need to maintain high standards of quality, confidentiality and reliability in the business. The global reputation earned by the Indian industry must not be allowed to be besmirched by "occasional misguided acts of some individuals."

Dr. Singh was referring to the recent "sting operation" by a British tabloid that suggested that Indians working in BPO (business process outsourcing) companies could be compromised into selling confidential information for a price. The tabloid claimed that an Indian employee of one such company "sold" a CD containing passwords and other confidential details of British bank customers. The company denied it dealt in financial business but sacked the employee.

Speedy amendments

The industry said amendments to the IT Act (being evolved jointly by it, the Government and independent legal experts) would be expedited to ensure an even stronger legal framework for cyber security.

Kiran Karnik, Director-General of the National Association of Software Companies, assured Dr. Singh that the Indian data processing industry was committed to ensuring the highest standards of data privacy. The recent incident might have been directed at giving the Indian industry a bad name against the background of its success in convincing major multinationals to assign their back-room and customer care operations to Indian companies.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |