The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has told Indian agencies that the US could share “encrypted data” with India on the internet and social media platforms pertaining to terror suspects, organisations and other criminals through legal channels.
However, how much this would help Indian investigators is difficult to say as decrypting the evidence – like chats between terrorists – will be a tough and time consuming exercise.
The Indian government and agencies have time and again told American authorities that they failed to get timely evidence from the “digital space” as a large number of social media platforms – including websites and internet-based messaging applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, Google and YouTube- had their severs in the US.
The Natioanl Investigation Agency’s top brass, during a meeting with FBI deputy director Andrew G McCabe earlier this month in New Delhi, said getting “digital evidence” was a “challenge” for them but getting it in quick time could really help in counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation efforts.
In several cases registered by the NIA against Islamic State-inspired Indian youngsters, the agency approached the US seeking details about their chats, emails or coded conversations over messaging platforms. Both countries have signed a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) for sharing evidence through proper court procedures.
By Baishakhi Dutta
