Days before Mr Donald Trump’s inauguration as America’s 47th President, India and the US signed an MoU to enhance cooperation in cybercrime investigations.
It was signed in Washington on Friday by Indian Ambassador of India to the US, Vinay Kwatra, and Ms. Kristie Canegallo, Acting US Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) in the outgoing Joe Biden administration.
From India, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is responsible for execution of the MoU.
From the US side, it is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and its constituent agencies the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center (C3).
The MoU allows the respective agencies of the two countries to step up the level of cooperation and training with respect to the use of cyber threat intelligence and digital forensics in criminal investigations.
Cybercrime has intricate linkages with the common security challenges faced by India and the US, such as terrorism and violent extremism, terror financing, drug trafficking, organised crime, human trafficking, illegal migration, money laundering and transportation security.
”The MoU on Cybercrime Investigations will enable further strengthening of India-US security cooperation, as part of our comprehensive and global strategic partnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The MoU is considered significant, given the commitment of the two countries to fight cybercrimes.