Internet Now a Lifeline, Focus Should Shift From Popularising Access to Protecting Users: IT Secretary

Noting that the internet has become a lifeline for business and commerce, IT Secretary S Krishnan on Friday said government policy must now shift from merely popularising digital access to actively safeguarding users and ensuring resilient infrastructure.

Speaking at the 23rd Foundation Day of the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), the IT secretary said while the earlier objective was to ensure infrastructure and enable access, the current era demands a proactive approach to user protection.

"From a time when the basic objective was to popularise the use of digital means, making sure that people start using it more, to a time when ensuring that adequate infrastructure and other facilities were available to enable access, we've reached a time when we have to actually actively protect the users," the Secretary said.

He attributed this shift to the emergence of an all-consuming virtual world that has become integral to economic productivity and efficiency.

Krishnan stated that technology must be harnessed to "halt what could potentially be harmful".

He called for a multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance, involving academic institutions, users, and private companies to ensure "distinct stakeholder voices are clearly heard." He warned that institutions do not run on autopilot and require continuous engagement and intervention to move in the desired direction.

NIXI on Friday launched four digital platforms IX Portal, myIRINN Portal, and .IN Auction Portal, and an AI-powered WHOIS screening platform to enhance efficiency, transparency, and security across India's internet ecosystem.