New Delhi:

Online radicalisation has always been a matter of huge concern for India, but the fall of Assad regime in Syria is now acting as a force multiplier, keeping the investigation agencies on their toes. Over the last two weeks, India has re-strategised its approach to Syria.

The Union Home Ministry has asked agencies to depute more people to track the growing traffic online linked to the escalating conflict in West Asia. Data from the ministry shows around 10,000 URLs which had radical content have been blocked by the Centre in the first ten months of this year.

“Various social media handles are anyways scanned by the MHA, as the ministry has been designated as an agency to issue ‘Take Down Notices’ to remove unlawful content. But with recent developments in Syria, monitoring has become more some region centric,” a senior official said.

The Multi Agency Centre which also works under MHA has highlighted that there has been a massive increase in traffic on internet relating videos and literature pertaining to Syria and strikes on Muslims by Israel. MAC has alerted states about these developments.

“The fall of Assad is being cited as a recruitment tool and youngsters are being made to believe that regimes can be overthrown by resistance and violence,” said an official who tracks traffic online.

The Indian connection with Syria is also being projected again in chats which are being monitored.

A few years ago, many youngsters having affiliations with Indian Mujahideen had left for Syria to fight alongside Islamic State. Yasin Bhatkal, who headed the Indian Mujahideen before his arrest, had claimed that he had many friends in Syria who would help him escape. One of his closest aides in Syria was Sultan Armar, who recruited from many states in South India.

The Home Ministry, while providing data on dangers of online radicalisation to Parliament on Wednesday, said extensive use of cyber technology is the way to propagate radical ideology. The cyberspace is being monitored ceaselessly, It said.

Data till October shared by the Ministry shows that Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology or MeitY has issued directions for blocking 9,845 URLs which include radical content.

“The use of more secured messaging application like Signal, Telegram, Viber and dark web apart from WhatsApp with end-to-end encryption by radical elements to connect with other likeminded elements has proved a major challenge for security agencies in its efforts to counter radicalized individuals online,” the home ministry told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

“Cyber patrolling is being done on regular basis to identify and monitor content and entities which are targeting gullible, depressed or alienated youth. Websites and accounts involved in communal and anti-India propaganda affecting sovereignty and integrity of India are being identified and sent to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for taking action,” Nityanand Rai, the junior home minister, said.

Currently, apart from the state police, the NIA is investigating 67 cases relating to online radicalisation, in connection with which 325 people have been arrested, 336 charge-sheeted and 63 convicted so far.
 

The video gaming industry has said the term ‘online gaming’ is a broad and ambiguous term that is causing confusion among gamers, games publishers, international investors and media amid the GST row. Image used for representational purposes only.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

As many as 45 video game companies in India on July 26, 2023, wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office and to the Ministries of Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, seeking to put distance between themselves and the real-money gaming industry, amid the ‘widespread confusion’ caused by the latter being referred to as ‘online gaming’.

The real-money gaming industry, which consists of fantasy sports, poker, rummy and other such apps where users can deposit money and compete with other users, has been hit with a 28% GST on all deposits, a move that the industry has criticised. Both the government and the real-money gaming industry use the phrase ‘online gaming’.

The video-gaming firms, such as Outlier Games, SuperGaming and Firebolt Entertainment, are now calling for the government to put an end to this confusion. “‘Online Games’ is too broad […] a term and carries a different meaning in Indian jurisprudence compared to the global understanding, leading to confusion among gamers, international investors, game publishers, and media during the GST row,” the firms said in their letter to the PMO, which has been viewed by The Hindu. 

“This confusion has played a considerable part in fuelling the recent controversy on 28 percent GST. What is being called “Online Games/Online Gaming” in India is known as ‘iGaming’ internationally.”

Also Read | The blurred lines between gaming and gambling

“Let me break the bubble,” Chirag Chopra, the Founder and CEO of New Delhi-based Lucid Labs said. “The Indian game industry is more than Real Money Games, and believe it or not, they are here to stay. No matter what they try to tell you on social media, your beloved games will not be taxed 28 percent; that privilege is reserved for … Real Money Games.”

Video games themselves have long been taxed at 18%, and the government has clarified that the 28% GST on deposits for ‘online gaming’ only applies to the real-money gaming industry. The latter industry has fervently opposed the 28% GST that was slapped on deposits, arguing that users would be discouraged from playing if they had to pay 28% over and above what they were playing games like poker with.

Also Read | Explained | Will 28% GST on online gaming affect its growth?  

“The negative sentiments and social stigma towards games involving monetary wagering are unfairly linked to video games in Indian society, leading to misconceptions about our industry’s products and services,” the letter argued before the government.

It’s not just confusion to the general public that is at stake. “International game corporations, publishers and investors are under the impression that the Indian regulatory system does not differentiate between Video Games and RMG/Fantasy Sports (iGaming) and applies blanket regulations to both industries,” the letter pointed out. “This has resulted in hesitation to invest in Indian video game companies and discouraged potential investments, co-productions, and strategic partnerships.”