The State Government will set up its second cyber laboratory in Mangalore. The first cyber laboratory has been functioning on the premises of the Crime Investigation Department in Bangalore.
Ashok Kumar C. Manoli, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Bio-Technology and Science and Technology, said on Thursday that the second laboratory was being set up to help train more personnel, including police, in cyber security and related issues.
“Moreover, Mangalore is a sensitive area in terms of costal security. Setting up of the lab is part of the government’s efforts to improve security systems in that region,” he added.
Mr. Manoli was participating in a two-day Bangalore Cyber Security Summit which was being held at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences’ convention centre.
The Principal Secretary said talks were on with institutions such as Syndicate Bank, the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation (KEONICS) on project establishment. The KEONICS will set up the laboratory on land that has already been identified for the purpose.
“The facilities at the second laboratory will be far more advanced than that in Bangalore,” Mr. Manoli said.
Earlier, making a presentation on “Prosecution and Adjudication under the Information Technology Act,” Mr. Manoli said not many cases were being filed against cyber cafe owners who had not been maintaining a record of user details.
Mr. Manoli, who is the adjudicator for Karnataka under the IT Act, said since 2004, only 58 cases had been dealt with. “This is too less compared to the quantum of complaints people have,” he said.
Mr. Manoli said there was not much awareness about fora available for grievance redress. “People can directly approach the IT Secretary with their complaints and the department will have the matter investigated by the Cyber Crime Police,” he added.
