Melbourne: The Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs, G. Kishan Reddy, said that India’s investigating agencies have found that some terror organizations are using the dark web and crypto currencies for radicalization and recruitment.
Kishan Reddy was speaking at the ‘No Money for Terror’ three-day conference currently underway at Melbourne in Australia. The Minister gave India’s views at the round table discussion on ‘Emerging Technologies and terrorism financing risk’.
The Minister gave India’s experience on the use of the web by terrorists in furthering their agenda. He said, “investigations have revealed that ISIS had used encrypted platforms and dark web for radicalization and recruitment of terrorists, as well as to guide them on how to mobilize funds, purchase weapons and carry out attacks.”
He also explained the use of blockchain based crypto currencies in India by saying, “virtual assets, especially crypto currencies offer certain unique advantages to criminals because of their pseudonymous nature, encryption, global reach and low-cost.”
At the meeting he said that that a group established by Jamat-ud-Dawa the front organization of the dreaded terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) is still active in the cyber world. The group is called Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF).
Reddy also expressed India’s concern on the tactical support that some nations are extending to terror groups in those countries and called for global concerted effort to fight against it.
The ‘No Money for Terror’ conference is a ministerial level grouping of 70 countries that focuses on countering terror financing, terror and radicalization. The MoS announced that India will host the next edition of the global conference in 2020.
Kishan Reddy was accompanied by National Investigation Agency chief, Y. C. Modi, and officials of the IB, Financial Intelligence Unit and External Affairs Ministry.
