India has taken swift steps to block 14 mobile messenger applications largely used by terrorists. After gaining input from intelligence agencies, the central government of India launched a major crackdown on terrorist activities and banned 14 such applications that were being allegedly used by terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to sources, the apps were used to communicate with the supporters of the terrorist groups and Over-Ground Workers (OGW), as well as receive commands from Pakistan.
Terrorism and communication: a symbiotic growth
Criminals and terrorists must communicate in ways similar to how civilians do, and they must seek out channels of communication that suit their specific requirements. When coordinating and planning their operations or disseminating propaganda, terrorists may find some messaging applications more appealing than others because of features like encryption and anonymity, for instance.
The assassination of a city governor in 1878 by Russian revolutionary Vera Zasulich is regarded as the first instance of non-state terrorism. Her only options up to that point had been large Smith & Wesson revolvers, so her plans to carry out a political assassination had been put on hold. The invention of the potent British Bulldog revolver, which was small enough to be concealed under her shawl, made it possible for this act of political violence.
While new technologies are often used for criminal or terrorist activity, they may also have features that support or facilitate other forms of criminal activity. Pietro Aretino (1492-1556) used the printing press to spread illegal pornography early on, and more recently, search engine development has made it easier to gather illegal images of children.
The misuse of messaging apps
Some of the main components of applications that make them appealing for illicit use usually utilize three categories of identifiable characteristics:
1. The presence of data informing users of when someone was last online, their location, and whether they have read messages. For instance, Telegram users have control over the timestamps of their messages, allowing them to be disabled or replaced with approximations.
2. Verification processes include using an email address or mobile number to verify identities, and some applications may not strictly enforce these procedures. People’s trust in the social application avatars they communicate with can vary depending on whether or not their identities have been verified. Twitter is a well-known illustration of a social networking service that allows messaging but doesn’t demand verification.
3. Users have the option to hide their identities by using pseudonyms or by opening accounts with different names that are unrelated to their real contact information. One such example is the messaging platform Firechat, which lets users send messages without revealing their real names or phone numbers.
Although new features like Firechat’s Bluetooth connectivity and Telegram’s self-destructing messages are undoubtedly intended for good by their developers, these technologies could be abused for illegal purposes.
Terrorists and criminals are thus drawn to communication channels that have the potential for encryption and anonymity because of the need to keep their illegal activities hidden in order to succeed in their operations.
The Government crackdown
“Agencies keep track of channels used by overground workers (OGWs) and terrorists to communicate among themselves. While tracking down one of the communications, agencies found that the mobile application does not have representatives in India, and it is difficult to track down activities happening on the app,” a government official said.
Afterward, a list of apps that do not follow Indian laws and pose a threat to national security, was prepared with the help of intelligence agencies. The concerned Ministry then issued the ban under Section 69 A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The banned apps include Crypviser, Enigma, Safeswiss, Wickrme, Mediafire, Briar, BChat, Nandbox, Conion, IMO, Element, Second Line, Zangi, and Threema. The intelligence agencies informed higher-ups that these apps are disseminating propaganda for terrorism in the Kashmir Valley in official correspondence.
