The two-day G20 Conference on Crime and Security in the Age of NFTs, AI, and Metaverse started in Gurugram, Haryana today. Addressing the inaugural session, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, terrorists are finding new ways to perpetrate violence, radicalize youth and raise financial resources. He said new methods and emerging technologies are being used by terrorists for financial transactions which are posing great threats for the security apparatus and digital public infrastructure.

The Minister said, some anti-social elements and global forces are using technology to cause economic and social harm to citizens and governments. He said, transformation of security challenges from 'Dynamite to Metaverse' and 'Hawala to Crypto currency' is a matter of concern. He said, incidents ranging from ransomware attacks, sale of critical personal data, online harassment, and child abuse to fake news and misinformation campaigns with toolkits are being carried out by cybercriminals. Mr. Shah emphasized the urgent need for cooperation, both at the national and international levels, to build cyber resilience in an increasingly connected world. He urged all to devise a common strategy to effectively deal with this menace.

Highlighting the achievements made in the digital sector in the last nine years, Mr. Shah said, today 840 million Indians have online presence, and by 2025 another 400 million Indians will enter into the digital world. He said, internet connections have increased by 250 percent in the nine years. He said, under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, 50 crore new bank accounts have been opened, and 330 million RuPay debit cards have been distributed. He said, India leads in global digital payments with 90 million transactions in 2022. He said, India has set up open-access digital public infrastructure models, which have become examples in the world today. He said, India has developed Aadhaar Model for digital identity, UPI model for real-time fast payment, Open Network for Digital Commerce, and Open Health Service Network. Mr. Shah said, India has been at the forefront of adopting emerging technologies at the grassroots level aiming to make modern technology more accessible and affordable to all sections of society.

On the relevance of G20 conference on new technologies, Mr. Shah said, this is the first conference on cyber security in the G-20. He said, the G-20 has focused on digital transformation and data flow from an economic perspective, but now it is important to understand the aspects of crime and security and find a solution. He said, it is the government’s endeavor to stay ahead in the era of NFT, AI, Metaverse, and other emerging technologies by responding in a timely manner to new and emerging threats in a coordinated and cooperative approach. He said, cyber security has become an essential aspect of global security, that requires adequate attention on its economic and geo-political implications in the digital age. He said, it is essential to strengthen the capabilities of nations and international organizations to deal with new and emerging, traditional and non-traditional challenges, including terrorism, terror financing, radicalization, narco, narco-terror links, and misinformation in a better way. He said, the world today needs a new model for digital public infrastructure to facilitate the flow of information and finance.

On this occasion, Mr. Shah also flagged off the Cyber Volunteer Squads from seven premier educational institutions of the country. These specially identified volunteers will work to generate cyber awareness in society, identify and report harmful content, and render technical assistance for making society cyber-safe. Mr. Shah also inaugurated an exhibition and released Conference Medallion.

Over 900 distinguished individuals from G20 countries, as well as representatives from special invitee countries, international bodies, technology leaders, and experts, have gathered in Cyber City Gurugram to discuss ways to protect the digital space and the interconnected world from evolving cyber threats. This event offers a unique opportunity to form global partnerships for a secure cyberspace as the world witnesses profound challenges of cybercrime in this new era of Non-Fungible Tokens, Artificial Intelligence, and the Metaverse. During the conference, participants will engage in extensive deliberations across six technical sessions, covering topics like Internet Governance, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Packet Inspection security, potential of Extended Reality, the Metaverse and Future of Digital Ownership, Connecting the Dots, and Criminal Use of Information and Communications Technology.