Top News Highlights-13 November 2024

Parliamentary Committee to Curb Fake News Amid Rising Misinformation

• Fake news infringes upon the Right to Information under Article 19(1)(a) and also endangers democratic processes because it has been known to influence the voting decision.
• With internet penetration in India standing at 55% of the population and digital literacy in households at 38%, the speed of misinformation increases.
• Some of the new laws include the IT Act 2000, particularly Section 66D, and the new 2021 IT Rules which incorporate digital content regulation.
• The issues would be the balance between free speech with the need to counter the threats of misinformation towards public order and safety.

India’s Critical Information Infrastructure Faces Rising Cyber Threats

• According to recent reports, cyber attacks, which include malware and DDOS are reported to be on rise in the critical sectors of the country such as banking and health.
• 1.6 million cyber incidents had occurred in India in 2023 and this had reached from 53,000 in 2017.
• CII is recognised in the IT Act with safeguards under NCIIPC and schemes, such as the Cyber Surakshit Bharat.
• Budgetary limitations and dependency on outsourcing, and an absence of cyber specialists, contributes towards India’s CII threats.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna Takes Oath as 51st Chief Justice of India

• Justice Khanna’s induction is under the seniority rule uniformly; however, this was done away with in the past couple of decades (1973).
• The Chief Justice of India heads as the “Master of the Roster,” administers SC, and presides over the judicial Collegium.
• The Collegium is the body of the CJI and some senior judges controlling the appointment of judges in higher courts.
• The CJI enjoys leadership without judicial superiority as per the judicial verdict in the case of State of Rajasthan vs. Prakash Chand.

Record Drone Seizures at Punjab Border by BSF

• BSF has recorded record interceptions of drones in Punjab which have reportedly taken over as many as 200 drones this year.
• Pakistani narcotics, arms and ammunition syndicates are also using Chinese-made drones for smuggling purposes.
• The government has employed radio frequency sensors, microwave-based systems along with jamming technology along the border as anti-drone measures.
• Drones pose a much wider security threat through weaponization, infringement of privacy and attacks on infrastructure cyber.

Significant Growth in Intellectual Property Filings in India

• India stands at the 6th position globally in filing patents, and the number of patents and trademarks has seen a growth of 250% between 2018-2023.
• Amendments to the Patents Act 2024 and streamlined the process of IP filing under the National IPR Policy (2016)
• Weakness Absence of a specialized appellate body post abolition of Intellectual Property Appellate Board.
• Other potential issues – “evergreening” of patents besides compulsory licensing continue to plague the pharmaceutical segment.

India’s First Space Defense Exercise ‘Antariksha Abhyas 2024’

• The Defence Space Agency (DSA) conducted the first of its kind ‘Antariksha Abhyas 2024’ to enhance India’s response to kinetic and cyber threats to space assets.
• Anti-satellite weapons, cyber attacks, and electronic jamming represent some of the military threats to space assets.
• India’s space defense infrastructure comprises the Defence Space Research Organisation (DSRO) and the successful anti-satellite Mission Shakti launched in 2019.
• The next steps will be formulating a National Defense Space Strategy and collaboration with stakeholders.

Key Concepts and Policies

• Right to Information: This is the right to liberty that entitles every citizen to get hold of information; fake news abuses the same right by spreading misinformation.
• Critical Information Infrastructure (CII): The critical assets include monetary banking and healthcare, whose disruption has direct impacts on the national security and public safety.
• Collegium System: A judicial body that supervises appointments in the higher judiciary and is headed by the CJI along with senior judges.
• National IPR Policy, 2016: The policy framework of India on IP growth through simplified filings, infrastructure, and awareness
• Antariksha Abhyas: The exercise of space defense by India to neutralize threats and enhance national security in space.