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Introduction

Quantum mechanics is not a new field. It finds its roots in the works of physicists such as Niels Bohr in the 1920s, and has informed the development of technologies like nuclear power in the past. But with developments in science and engineering, we are at the cusp of harnessing quantum mechanics for a new wave of real-world uses in sensing and metrology, computing, networking, security, and more. While at different stages of development, quantum technologies have the potential to revolutionise global security, economic systems, and digital infrastructure. The science is dazzling, but it is equally urgent to start preparing for its broader impact on society, especially regarding privacy and digital security. This article explores quantum computing, its threat to information integrity, and global interdependencies as they exist today, and discusses policy areas that should be addressed.

What Is Quantum Computing?

Classical computers use binary bits (0 or 1) to represent and process information. This binary system forms the base of modern computing. But quantum computers use qubits (quantum bits) as a basic unit, which can exist in multiple states ( 0, 1, both, or with other qubits) simultaneously due to quantum principles like superposition and entanglement. This creates an infinite range of possibilities in information processing and allows quantum machines to perform complex computations at speeds impossible for traditional computers. While still in their early stages, large-scale quantum computers could eventually:

1. Break modern encryption systems
2. Model complex molecules for drug discovery
3. Optimise global logistics and financial systems
4. Accelerate AI and machine learning

While this could eventually present significant opportunities in fields such as health innovation, material sciences, climate modelling, and cybersecurity, challenges will continue to arise even before the technology is ready for commercial application. Policymakers must start anticipating their impact.

Threats

Policy solutions surrounding quantum technologies will depend on the pace of development of the elements of the quantum ecosystem. However, the most urgent concerns regarding quantum computing applications are the risk to encryption and the impact on market competition.

1. Cybersecurity Threat: Digital infrastructure today (e.g., cloud services, networks, servers, etc.) across sectors such as government, banking and finance, healthcare, energy, etc., depends on encryption for secure data handling and communications. Threat actors can utilise quantum computers to break this encryption. Widely used asymmetric encryption keys, such as RSA or ECC, are particularly susceptible to being broken. Threat actors could "harvest now, decrypt later”- steal encrypted data now and decrypt it later when quantum capabilities mature. Although AES-256, a symmetric encryption standard, is currently considered resistant to quantum decryption, it only protects data after a secure connection is established through a process that today relies on RSA or ECC. This is why governments and companies are racing to adopt Post- Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and quantum key distribution (QKD) to protect security and privacy in digital infrastructure.

2. Market Monopoly: Quantum computing demands significant investments in infrastructure, talent, and research, which only a handful of countries and companies currently possess. As a result, firms that develop early quantum advantage may gain unprecedented competitive leverage through offerings such as quantum-as-a-service, disrupting encryption-dependent industries, or accelerating innovation in pharmaceuticals, finance, and logistics. This could reinforce the existing power asymmetries in the global digital economy. Given these challenges, proactive and forward-looking policy frameworks are critical.

What Should Quantum Computing Policy Cover?

Commercial quantum computing will transform many industries. Policy will have to be flexible and be developed in iterations to account for fast-paced developments in the field. It will also require enduring international collaboration to effectively address a broad range of concerns, including ethics, security, privacy, competition, and workforce implications.

1. Cybersecurity and Encryption: Quantum policy should prioritise the development and standardisation of quantum-resistant encryption methods. This includes ongoing research into Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms and their integration into digital infrastructure. Global policy will need to align national efforts with international standards to create unified quantum-safe encryption protocols.

2. Market Competition and Access: Given the high barriers to entry, regulatory frameworks should promote fair competition, enabling smaller players like startups and developing economies to participate meaningfully in the quantum economy. Frameworks to ensure equitable access, interoperability, and fair competition will become imperative as the quantum ecosystem matures so that society can reap its benefits as a whole.

4. Ethical Considerations: Policymakers will have to consider the impact on privacy and security, and push for the responsible use of quantum capabilities. This includes ensuring that quantum advances do not contribute to cybercrime, disproportionate surveillance, or human rights violations.

5. International Standard-Setting: Setting benchmarks, shared terminologies, and measurement standards will ensure interoperability and security across diverse stakeholders and facilitate global collaboration in quantum research and infrastructure.

6. Military and Defence Implications: Militarisation of quantum technologies is a growing concern, and national security affairs related to quantum espionage are being urgently explored. Nations will have to develop regulations to protect sensitive data and intellectual property from quantum-enabled attacks.

7. Workforce Development and Education: Policies should encourage quantum computing education at various levels to ensure a steady pipeline of talent and foster cross-disciplinary programs that blend quantum computing with fields like machine learning, AI, and engineering.

8. Environmental and Societal Impact: Quantum computing hardware requires specialised conditions such as extreme cooling. Policy will have to address the environmental footprint of the infrastructure and energy consumption of large-scale quantum systems. Broader societal impacts of quantum computing, including potential job displacement, accessibility issues, and the equitable distribution of quantum computing benefits, will have to be explored.

Conclusion

Like nuclear power and AI, the new wave of quantum technologies is expected to be an exciting paradigm shift for society. While they can bring numerous benefits to commercial operations and address societal challenges, they also pose significant risks to global information security. Quantum policy will require regulatory, strategic, and ethical frameworks to govern the rise of these technologies, especially as they intersect with national security, global competition, and privacy. Policymakers must act in collaboration to mitigate unethical use of these technologies and the entrenchment of digital divides across countries. The OECD’s Anticipatory Governance of Emerging Technologies provides a framework of essential values like respect for human rights, privacy, and sustainable development, which can be used to set a baseline, so that quantum computing and related technologies benefit society as a whole.

References

• https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/07/explainer-what-is-quantum-technology/
• https://www.paconsulting.com/insights/what-is-quantum-technology
• https://delinea.com/blog/quantum-safe-encryption#:~:text=This%20can%20result%20in%20AES,%2D128%20to%20AES%2D256.
• https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/a-quantum-technologies-policy-primer_fd1153c3-en.html

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Introduction

The 2023-24 annual report of the Union Home Ministry states that WhatsApp is among the primary platforms being targeted for cyber fraud in India, followed by Telegram and Instagram. Cybercriminals have been conducting frauds like lending and investment scams, digital arrests, romance scams, job scams, online phishing etc., through these platforms, creating trauma for victims and overburdening law enforcement, which is not always the best equipped to recover their money. WhatsApp’s scale, end-to-end encryption, and ease of mass messaging make it both a powerful medium of communication and a vulnerable target for bad actors. It has over 500 million users in India, which makes it a primary subject for scammers running illegal lending apps, phishing schemes, and identity fraud. 

Action Taken by Whatsapp

As a response to this worrying trend and in keeping with Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, [updated as of 6.4.2023], WhatsApp has been banning millions of Indian accounts through automated tools, AI-based detection systems, and behaviour analysis, which can detect suspicious activity and misuse. In July 2021, it banned over 2 million accounts. By February 2025, this number had shot up to over 9.7 million, with  1.4 million accounts removed proactively, that is, before any user reported them.  While this may mean that the number of attacks has increased, or WhatsApp’s detection systems have improved, or both,  what it surely signals is the acknowledgement of a deeper, systemic challenge to India’s digital ecosystem and the growing scale and sophistication of cyber fraud, especially on encrypted platforms. 

CyberPeace Insights

1. Under Rule 4(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021, significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs) are required to implement automated tools to detect harmful content. But enforcement has been uneven. WhatsApp’s enforcement action demonstrates what effective compliance with proactive moderation can look like because of the scale and transparency of its actions. 
2. Platforms must treat fraud not just as a content violation but as a systemic abuse of the platform’s infrastructure. 
3. India is not alone in facing this challenge. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), for instance, mandates large platforms to conduct regular risk assessments, maintain algorithmic transparency, and allow independent audits of their safety mechanisms. These steps go beyond just removing bad content by addressing the design of the platform itself. India can draw from this by codifying a baseline standard for fraud detection, requiring platforms to publish detailed transparency reports, and clarifying the legal expectations around proactive monitoring. Importantly, regulators must ensure this is done without compromising encryption or user privacy.
4. WhatsApp’s efforts are part of a broader, emerging ecosystem of threat detection. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) is now sharing threat intelligence with platforms like Google and Meta to help take down scam domains, malicious apps, and sponsored Facebook ads promoting illegal digital lending. This model of public-private intelligence collaboration should be institutionalized and scaled across sectors.

Conclusion: Turning Enforcement into Policy

WhatsApp’s mass account ban is not just about enforcement but an example of how platforms must evolve. As India becomes increasingly digital, it needs a forward-looking policy framework that supports proactive monitoring, ethical AI use, cross-platform coordination, and user safety. The digital safety of users in India and those around the world must be built into the architecture of the internet.

References

• https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.8562-6/486805827_1197340372070566_282096906288453586_n.pdf?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=b8d81d&_nc_ohc=BRGwyxF87MgQ7kNvwHyyW8u&_nc_oc=AdnNG2wXIN5F-Pefw_FTt2T4K6POllUyKpO7nxwzCWxNgQEkVLllHmh81AHT2742dH8&_nc_zt=14&_nc_ht=scontent.xx&_nc_gid=iaQzNQ8nBZzxuIS4rXLOkQ&oh=00_AfEnbac47YDXvymJ5vTVB-gXteibjpbTjY5uhP_sMN9ouw&oe=67F95BF0 
• https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.8562-6/217535270_342765227288666_5007519467044742276_n.pdf?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=b8d81d&_nc_ohc=aj6og9xy5WQQ7kNvwG9Vzkd&_nc_oc=AdnDtVbrQuo4lm3isKg5O4cw5PHkp1MoMGATVpuAdOUUz-xyJQgWztGV1PBovGACQ9c&_nc_zt=14&_nc_ht=scontent.xx&_nc_gid=gabMfhEICh_gJFiN7vwzcA&oh=00_AfE7lXd9JJlEZCpD4pxW4OOc03BYcp1e3KqHKN9-kaPGMQ&oe=67FD6FD3 
• https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/whatsapp-is-most-used-platform-for-cyber-crimes-home-ministry-report-101735719475701.html 
• https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/whatsapp-bans-over-97-lakhs-indian-accounts-to-protect-users-from-scam-2702781-2025-04-02 

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Introduction

In a world teeming with digital complexities, where information wends through networks with the speed and unpredictability of quicksilver, companies find themselves grappling with the paradox of our epoch: the vast potential of artificial intelligence (AI) juxtaposed with glaring vulnerabilities in data security. It's a terrain fraught with risks, but in the intricacies of this digital age emerges a profound alchemy—the application of AI itself to transmute vulnerable data into a repository as secure and invaluable as gold.

The deployment of AI technologies comes with its own set of challenges, chief among them being concerns about the integrity and safety of data—the precious metal of the information economy. Companies cannot afford to remain idle as the onslaught of cyber threats threatens to fray the fabric of their digital endeavours. Instead, they are rallying, invoking the near-miraculous capabilities of AI to transform the very nature of cybersecurity, crafting an armour of untold resilience by empowering the hunter to become the hunted.

The AI’s Untapped Potential 

Industries spanning the globe, varied in their scopes and scales, recognize AI's potential to hone their processes and augment decision-making capabilities. Within this dynamic lies a fertile ground for AI-powered security technologies to flourish, serving not merely as auxiliary tools but as essential components of contemporary business infrastructure. Dynamic solutions, such as anomaly detection mechanisms, highlight the subtle and not-so-subtle deviances in application behaviour, shedding light on potential points of failure or provoking points of intrusion, turning what was once a prelude to chaos into a symphony of preemptive intelligence.

In the era of advanced digital security, AI, exemplified by Dynatrace, stands as the pinnacle, swiftly navigating complex data webs to fortify against cyber threats. These digital fortresses, armed with cutting-edge AI, ensure uninterrupted insights and operational stability, safeguarding the integrity of data in the face of relentless cyber challenges.

India’s AI Stride

India, a burgeoning hub of technology and innovation, evidences AI's transformative powers within its burgeoning intelligent automation market. Driven by the voracious adoption of groundbreaking technological paradigms such as machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and Automated Workflow Management (AWM), sectors as disparate as banking, finance, e-commerce, healthcare, and manufacturing are swept up in an investment maelstrom. This is further bolstered by the Indian government’s supportive policies like 'Make in India' and 'Digital India'—bold initiatives underpinning the accelerating trajectory of intelligent automation in this South Asian powerhouse.

Consider the velocity at which the digital universe expands: IDC posits that the 5 billion internet denizens, along with the nearly 54 billion smart devices they use, generate about 3.4 petabytes of data each second. The implications for enterprise IT teams, caught in a fierce vice of incoming cyber threats, are profound. AI's emergence as the bulwark against such threats provides the assurance they desperately seek to maintain the seamless operation of critical business services.

The AI integration 

The list of industries touched by the chilling specter of cyber threats is as extensive as it is indiscriminate. We've seen international hotel chains ensnared by nefarious digital campaigns, financial institutions laid low by unseen adversaries, Fortune 100 retailers succumbing to cunning scams, air traffic controls disrupted, and government systems intruded upon and compromised. Cyber threats stem from a tangled web of origins—be it an innocent insider's blunder, a cybercriminal's scheme, the rancor of hacktivists, or the cold calculation of state-sponsored espionage. The damage dealt by data breaches and security failures can be monumental, staggering corporations with halted operations, leaked customer data, crippling regulatory fines, and the loss of trust that often follows in the wake of such incidents.

However, the revolution is upon us—a rising tide of AI and accelerated computing that truncates the time and costs imperative to countering cyberattacks. Freeing critical resources, businesses can now turn their energies toward primary operations and the cultivation of avenues for revenue generation. Let us embark on a detailed expedition, traversing various industry landscapes to witness firsthand how AI's protective embrace enables the fortification of databases, the acceleration of threat neutralization, and the staunching of cyber wounds to preserve the sanctity of service delivery and the trust between businesses and their clientele.

Public Sector

Examine the public sector, where AI is not merely a tool for streamlining processes but stands as a vigilant guardian of a broad spectrum of securities—physical, energy, and social governance among them. Federal institutions, laden with the responsibility of managing complicated digital infrastructures, find themselves at the confluence of rigorous regulatory mandates, exacting public expectations, and the imperative of protecting highly sensitive data. The answer, increasingly, resides in the AI pantheon.

Take the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) as a case in point. An investment exceeding $240 million in cybersecurity R&D since 2010 manifests in pioneering projects, including AI applications that automate and refine security vulnerability assessments, and those employing cutting-edge software-defined networks that magnify the operational awareness of crucial energy delivery systems.

Financial Sector 

Next, pivot our gaze to financial services—a domain where approximately $6 million evaporates with each data breach incident, compelling the sector to harness AI not merely for enhancing fraud detection and algorithmic trading but for its indispensability in preempting internal threats and safeguarding knightly vaults of valuable data. Ventures like the FinSec Innovation Lab, born from the collaborative spirits of Mastercard and Enel X, demonstrate AI's facility in real-time threat response—a lifeline in preventing service disruptions and the erosion of consumer confidence.

Retail giants, repositories of countless payment credentials, stand at the threshold of this new era, embracing AI to fortify themselves against the theft of payment data—a grim statistic that accounts for 37% of confirmed breaches in their industry. Best Buy's triumph in refining its phishing detection rates while simultaneously dialling down false positives is a testament to AI's defensive prowess.

Smart Cities 

Consider, too, the smart cities and connected spaces that epitomize technological integration. Their web of intertwined IoT devices and analytical AI, which scrutinize the flows of urban life, are no strangers to the drumbeat of cyber threat. AI-driven defense mechanisms not only predict but quarantine threats, ensuring the continuous, safe hum of civic life in the aftermath of intrusions.

Telecom Sector 

Telecommunications entities, stewards of crucial national infrastructures, dial into AI for anticipatory maintenance, network optimization, and ensuring impeccable uptime. By employing AI to monitor the edges of IoT networks, they stem the tide of anomalies, deftly handle false users, and parry the blows of assaults, upholding the sanctity of network availability and individual and enterprise data security.

Automobile Industry 

Similarly, the automotive industry finds AI an unyielding ally. As vehicles become complex, mobile ecosystems unto themselves, AI's cybersecurity role is magnified, scrutinizing real-time in-car and network activities, safeguarding critical software updates, and acting as the vanguard against vulnerabilities—the linchpin for the assured deployment of autonomous vehicles on our transit pathways.

Conclusion 

The inclination towards AI-driven cybersecurity permits industries not merely to cope, but to flourish by reallocating their energies towards innovation and customer experience enhancement. Through AI's integration, developers spanning a myriad of industries are equipped to construct solutions capable of discerning, ensnaring, and confronting threats to ensure the steadfastness of operations and consumer satisfaction. 

In the crucible of digital transformation, AI is the philosopher's stone—an alchemic marvel transmuting the raw data into the secure gold of business prosperity. As we continue to sail the digital ocean's intricate swells, the confluence of AI and cybersecurity promises to forge a gleaming future where businesses thrive under the aegis of security and intelligence.

References 

• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/why-adoption-of-ai-may-be-critical-for-businesses-to-tackle-cyber-threats-and-more/articleshow/106313082.cms
• https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/ai-cybersecurity-business-resilience/
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