State use of intrusive surveillance tools must be lawful, says Keralam Home Minister Chennithala

Kerala's Home Minister, Ramesh Chennithala, emphasized the necessity for intrusive digital intelligence tools to be employed lawfully and with appropriate oversight during the inauguration of c0c0n-2026, a cybersecurity conference organized by the Kerala Police. Chennithala referenced the Pegasus spyware case, highlighting the risks such tools pose to individual privacy and national security.

He stressed the need for strict legal and institutional oversight to ensure that these powerful technologies are used in a manner that is both necessary and proportionate. Chennithala also announced plans to revitalize Cyberdome, the Kerala Police's public-private partnership initiative for cybersecurity. In response to the growing cybersecurity challenges, T.V.

Ravichandran, Deputy National Security Advisor to the Government of India, called for a shift towards technological sovereignty and the development of indigenous capabilities. He stressed that national cybersecurity cannot be achieved through software provided by foreign entities. Drawing from data provided by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, Ravichandran reported that cybersecurity incidents in the country had risen to 29 lakh in 2025 from 20 lakh in 2024.

Ravichandran emphasized that a significant proportion of these issues could be traced back to human errors. State Bank of India Chairperson Challa Sreenivasulu Setty highlighted the effectiveness of the bank's cybersecurity measures in preventing potential fraud losses of approximately ₹28,000 crore in the financial year 2025–26.

The two-day conference, attended by over 2,500 delegates from 23 countries, also featured presentations from prominent figures including UAE Head of Cybersecurity Mohammad Al Kuwaiti and CERT-In Director General Sanjay Bahl.