Jammu, Jun 24 (IANS): J&K DGP R.R. Swain on Sunday termed the Internet the main medium used for sustaining terrorism and separation in the UT.

"Internet is becoming a medium of sustaining terrorism and separatism in J&K with 75 per cent of the challenges linked to it. Internet could account for 60 to 80 per cent of our problems. Cybercrime is broad in its context and it can actually go and touch other conventional crimes," he told media after inaugurating the newly-constructed building of the cyber police station, Jammu zone.

"WhatsApp and Telegram have diluted the sovereignty of our licensed telecom service providers by mounting their services and platforms. I have raised this issue at the highest level as this poses a security challenge," he said.

Elaborating, the DGP said: "Pakistan-based handlers, through their local agents, conspire an attack using the internet. They pick up a geo-location for infiltration of terrorists, dropping arms, ammunition and explosives and when and where to pick it up without getting noticed using cyberspace. Earlier, the conspiracy to carry out an attack was chalked out at a physical meeting or through telephonic contact. We used to track and monitor the suspected telephone number, but... everything has gone into the virtual world."

He said that in order to prevent the hijacking of technology by the adversary, a counter plan is needed to tackle the challenge as the threat to national security cannot be ignored in the name of privacy. Police are not against privacy, but crime in the name of privacy, whether at a personal level or otherwise, fraud, extortion or blackmail, attempts to destabilise the government, trigger civil strife or separatism cannot be tolerated, he added.

He also said cyber crimes are mostly related to fraud by taking away money or the exploitation of young boys and girls, and while a fraudster sitting in India can be identified easily, "imagine a situation where the world has become borderless and transactions cut across nations with the end users sitting outside the physical territory of India".