What’s Your New Year's Resolution?
2025 is knocking firmly at our door and we have promises to make and resolutions to keep. Time you make your list for the New Year and check it twice.
- Lifestyle targets 🡪 Check
- Family targets 🡪 Check
- Social targets 🡪 Check
Umm, so far so good, but what about your cybersecurity targets for the year? Hey, you look confused and concerned. Wait a minute, you do not have one, do you?
I get it. Though the digital world still puzzles, and sometimes outright scares us, we still are not in the ‘Take-Charge-Of-Your-Digital-Safety Mode. We prefer to depend on whatever software security we are using and keep our fingers crossed that the bad guys (read threat actors) do not find us.
Let me illustrate why cybersecurity should be one of your top priorities. You know that stress is a major threat to our continued good health, right? However, if your devices, social media accounts, office e-mail or network, or God forbid, bank accounts become compromised, would that not cause stress? Think about it and the probable repercussions and you will comprehend why I am harping on prioritising security.
Fret not. We will keep it brief as we well know you have 101 things to do in the next few days leading up to 01/01/2025. Just add cyber health to the list and put in motion the following:
- Install and activate comprehensive security software on ALL internet-enabled devices you have at home. Yes, including your smartphones.
- Set yourself a date to change and create separate unique passwords for all accounts. Or use the password manager that comes with all reputed security software to make life simpler.
- Keep home Wi-Fi turned off at night
- Do not set social media accounts to auto-download photos/documents
- Activate parental controls on all the devices used by your children to monitor and mentor them. But keep them apprised.
- Do not blindly trust anyone or anything online – this includes videos, speeches, emails, voice calls, and video calls. Be aware of fakes.
- Be aware of the latest threats and talk about unsafe cyber practices and behaviour often at home.
Short and sweet, as promised.
We will be back, with more tips, and answers to your queries. Drop us a line anytime, and we will be happy to resolve your doubts.
Ciao!
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Introduction
The Kumbh Mela is known worldwide as India's most significant pilgrimage and has earned a place on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2017. This year, the Maha Kumbh will be held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, with 40 crore devotees from all over the world expected to attend this momentous event from January 13th to 26th February 2025. As the world embraces the blessings of digitalisation, people are increasingly relying on the Internet for arranging their travel, booking rooms, and securing accommodations for this grand spiritual journey.
However, amidst this digital age, where the conveniences offered are manifold, there also lurks the shadow of deceit. Cybercriminals are finding innovative ways to entrap innocent individuals. Fraudulent activities are on the rise, with wrongdoers operating fake websites that promise secure bookings for cottages, tents, and other accommodations for the Mahakumbh event. Like the deceptive mirage that the desert traveller may mistakenly believe to be an oasis, these malicious sites lure pilgrims with the false hope of easy arrangements, only to exploit their trust and commit malicious cyber fraudulent activities.
Policy and Preventive Measures Taken by Government
This year, the government has taken steps to utilise digitalisation services to enhance the experience of devotees, blending innovation with tradition. However, considering the rise in cyber scams, a dedicated cyber police station has also been established at Maha Kumbh 2025 to address threats such as the misuse of AI, the dark web, and social media platforms. This initiative aims to protect devotees from potential scams.
To strengthen safety measures, a special team of selected officers from across the state has been deployed in Mahakumbh Nagar, Prayagraj, to provide cybersecurity and ensure the safety of pilgrims. A dedicated cyber police station or digital police station will ensure round-the-clock monitoring of cyberspace.
The cybersecurity team has already identified 44 suspicious websites and initiated action against them. To further safeguard devotees attending Maha Kumbh 2025, a large-scale awareness campaign is being conducted to educate users about potential cyber threats.
The Role of Digital Discipline in Navigating the Uncharted Waters of the Internet
As the Yajurveda (ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism) reminds us ‘सत्यं चानृतं च सत्यं अभवत्, यदेतत् तपसा तप्यताम्।’. This learning translates into English as "Truth and falsehood are both present, yet truth is purified through intense discipline”. The Mahakumbh is a confluence not just of rivers but of faith and humanity's eternal quest for truth (Satyam). In the digital age, this vigilance extends to protecting ourselves from cyber frauds and scams that exploit the sanctity of occasions like the Mahakumbh. Just as devotees seek purity through holy rituals, we must also embrace Digital Discipline to navigate the confluence of tradition and technology safely.
Here are some Digital Discipline best practices you must follow:
- Be cautious of fake websites, fraudulent travel agencies, and scam bookings. Always verify legitimacy before engaging in any transactions.
- Stay alert for fake donation requests and only contribute to verified organizations.
- Be aware of any mis/disinformation and implausible claims surrounding the Mahakumbh event and verify it from authenticated sources. The official website of Mahakumbh is https://kumbh.gov.in.
- To report any cybercrime or issue, you can report it on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at https://cybercrime.gov.in/, equipped with a 24x7 helpline 1930 that serves as a powerful resource available to the victims of cybercrimes to report their cases.
Conclusion
Netizens worldwide must prioritise Digital Discipline to ensure they are safeguarded from the snares of these cyber miscreants, so that they may safely and joyfully embark on their journey to the Maha Kumbh and receive divine blessings and purity of purpose through the experience.
References
- https://www.deccanherald.com/india/uttar-pradesh/up-police-gets-on-its-toes-to-ensure-cyber-safe-maha-kumbh-3335911
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/four-cyber-crooks-held-for-operating-fake-booking-websites-101735326388201.html
- https://www.indiatvnews.com/uttar-pradesh/maha-kumbh-2025-cyber-police-station-set-up-in-prayagraj-to-safeguard-devotees-from-online-frauds-in-city-preparation-security-other-details-2024-12-11-965745
- https://organiser.org/2024/12/12/268915/bharat/mahakumbh-2025-cyber-police-station-set-up-to-protect-devotees-from-ai-and-social-media-scammers/
- https://www.ptinews.com/story/national/maha-kumbh-56-cyber-warriors-deployed-to-safeguard-devotees-against-online-scams/2135062

Introduction
As digital platforms rapidly become repositories of information related to health, YouTube has emerged as a trusted source people look to for answers. To counter rampant health misinformation online, the platform launched YouTube Health, a program aiming to make “high-quality health information available to all” by collaborating with health experts and content creators. While this is an effort in the right direction, the program needs to be tailored to the specificities of the Indian context if it aims to transform healthcare communication in the long run.
The Indian Digital Health Context
India’s growing internet penetration and lack of accessible healthcare infrastructure, especially in rural areas, facilitates a reliance on digital platforms for health information. However, these, especially social media, are rife with misinformation. Supplemented by varying literacy levels, access disparities, and lack of digital awareness, health misinformation can lead to serious negative health outcomes. The report ‘Health Misinformation Vectors in India’ by DataLEADS suggests a growing reluctance surrounding conventional medicine, with people looking for affordable and accessible natural remedies instead. Social media helps facilitate this shift. However, media-sharing platforms such as WhatsApp, YouTube, and Facebook host a large chunk of health misinformation. The report identifies that cancer, reproductive health, vaccines, and lifestyle diseases are four key areas susceptible to misinformation in India.
YouTube’s Efforts in Promoting Credible Health Content
YouTube Health aims to provide evidence-based health information with “digestible, compelling, and emotionally supportive health videos,” from leading experts to everyone irrespective of who they are or where they live. So far, it executes this vision through:
- Content Curation: The platform has health source information panels and content shelves highlighting videos regarding 140+ medical conditions from authority sources like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Max Healthcare etc., whenever users search for health-related topics.
- Localization Strategies: The platform offers multilingual health content in regional languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Bengali, apart from English. This is to help health information reach viewers across most of the country.
- Verification of professionals: Healthcare professionals and organisations can apply to YouTube’s health feature for their videos to be authenticated as an authority health source on the platform and for their videos to show up on the ‘Health Sources’ shelf.
Challenges
- Limited Reach: India has a diverse linguistic ecosystem. While health information is made available in over 8 languages, the number is not enough to reach everyone in the country. Efforts to reach more people in vernacular languages need to be ramped up. Further, while there were around 50 billion views of health content on YouTube in 2023, it is difficult to measure the on-ground outcomes of those views.
- Lack of Digital Literacy: Misinformation on digital platforms cannot be entirely curtailed owing to the way algorithms are designed to enhance user engagement. However, uploading authoritative health information as a solution may not be enough, if users lack awareness about misinformation and the need to critically evaluate and trust only credible sources. In India, this critical awareness remains largely underdeveloped.
Conclusion
Considering that India has over 450 million users, by far the highest number of users in any country in the world, the platform has recognized that it can play a transformative role in the country’s digital health ecosystem. To accomplish its mission “to combat the societal threat of medical misinformation,” YouTube will have to continue to take several proactive measures. There is scope for strengthening collaborations with Indian public health agencies and trusted public figures, national and regional, to provide credible health information to all. The approach will have to be tailored to India’s vast linguistic diversity, by encouraging capacity-building for vernacular creators to produce credible content. Finally, multiple stakeholders will need to come together to promote digital literacy through education campaigns about identifying trustworthy sources.
Sources
- https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/youtube-health-dr-garth-graham-interview-9746673/
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/cancer-misinformation-extremely-prevalent-in-india-trust-in-science-medicine-crucial-report/articleshow/115931783.cms?from=mdr
- https://health.youtube/our-mission/
- https://health.youtube/features-application/
- https://backlinko.com/youtube-users

Introduction
The geographical world has physical boundaries, but the digital one has a different architecture and institutions are underprepared when it comes to addressing cybersecurity breaches. Cybercrime, which may lead to economic losses, privacy violations, national security threats and have psycho-social consequences, is forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029, reaching an estimated cost of at least 6.4 trillion U.S. dollars (Statista). As cyber threats become persistent and ubiquitous, they are becoming a critical governance challenge. Lawmakers around the world need to collaborate on addressing this emerging issue.
Cybersecurity Governance and its Structural Elements
Cybersecurity governance refers to the strategies, policies, laws, and institutional frameworks that guide national and international preparedness and responses to cyber threats to governments, private entities, and individuals. Effective cybersecurity governance ensures that digital risks are managed proactively while balancing security with fundamental rights like privacy and internet freedom. It includes, but is not limited to :
- Policies and Legal Frameworks: Laws that define the scope of cybercrime, cybersecurity responsibilities, and mechanisms for data protection. Eg: India’s National Cybersecurity Policy (NCSP) of 2013, Information Technology Act, 2000, and Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, EU’s Cybersecurity Act (2019), Cyber Resilience Act (2024), Cyber Solidarity Act (2025), and NIS2 Directive (2022), South Africa’s Cyber Crimes Act (2021), etc.
- Regulatory Bodies: Government agencies such as data protection authorities, cybersecurity task forces, and other sector-specific bodies. Eg: India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Europe’s European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), and others.
- Public-Private Knowledge Sharing: The sharing of the private sector’s expertise and the government’s resources plays a crucial role in improving enforcement and securing critical infrastructure. This model of collaboration is followed in the EU, Japan, Turkey, and the USA.
- Research and Development: Apart from the technical, the cyber domain also includes military, politics, economy, law, culture, society, and other elements. Robust, multi-sectoral research is necessary for formulating international and regional frameworks on cybersecurity.
Challenges to Cybersecurity Governance
Governments face several challenges in securing cyberspace and protecting critical assets and individuals despite the growing focus on cybersecurity. This is because so far the focus has been on cybersecurity management, which, considering the scale of attacks in the recent past, is not enough. Stakeholders must start deliberating on the aspect of governance in cyberspace while ensuring that this process is multi-consultative. (Savaş & Karataş 2022). Prominent challenges which need to be addressed are:
- Dynamic Threat Landscape: The threat landscape in cyberspace is ever-evolving. Bad actors are constantly coming up with new ways to carry out attacks, using elements of surprise, adaptability, and asymmetry aided by AI and quantum computing. While cybersecurity measures help mitigate risks and minimize damage, they can’t always provide definitive solutions. E.g., the pace of malware development is much faster than that of legal norms, legislation, and security strategies for the protection of information technology (IT). (Efe and Bensghir 2019).
- Regulatory Fragmentation and Compliance Challenges: Different countries, industries, or jurisdictions may enforce varying or conflicting cybersecurity laws and standards, which are still evolving and require rapid upgrades. This makes it harder for businesses to comply with regulations, increases compliance costs, and jeopardizes the security posture of the organization.
- Trans-National Enforcement Challenges: Cybercriminals operate across jurisdictions, making threat intelligence collection, incident response, evidence-gathering, and prosecution difficult. Without cross-border agreements between law enforcement agencies and standardized compliance frameworks for organizations, bad actors have an advantage in getting away with attacks.
- Balancing Security with Digital Rights: Striking a balance between cybersecurity laws and privacy concerns (e.g., surveillance laws vs. data protection) remains a profound challenge, especially in areas of CSAM prevention and identifying terrorist activities. Without a system of checks and balances, it is difficult to prevent government overreach into domains like journalism, which are necessary for a healthy democracy, and Big Tech’s invasion of user privacy.
The Road Ahead: Strengthening Cybersecurity Governance
All domains of human life- economy, culture, politics, and society- occur in digital and cyber environments now. It follows naturally, that governance in the physical world translates into governance in cyberspace. It must be underpinned by features consistent with the principles of openness, transparency, participation, and accountability, while also protecting human rights. In cyberspace, the world is stateless and threats are rapidly evolving with innovations in modern computing. Thus, cybersecurity governance requires a global, multi-sectoral approach utilizing the rules of international law, to chart out problems, and solutions, and carry out detailed risk analyses. (Savaş & Karataş 2022).
References
- https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1280009/cost-cybercrime-worldwide#statisticContainer
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1365/s43439-021-00045-4#citeas
- https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/cybersecurity-policies#ecl-inpage-cybersecurity-strategy