For a long time, Indian cyber investigators and researchers were disregarded by the global intelligence community and the western media despite India’s prowess in advanced cyber abilities and a massive talent pool.
However, in the past decade, India’s growing rivalry with China and Pakistan has witnessed the emergence and involvement of patriotic non-state actors wanting to help their country compete with hostile neighbours. Ethics has become secondary to them. Money is inconsequential. Securing the national interest is the only goal for them.
Generally, many Indian cyber professionals earn millions protecting national and foreign corporations and global tech giants from cyber-attacks. Tech wizards like Anand Prakash reported over 90 bugs to Facebook alone, with many more to Twitter, Google, Dropbox, Adobe, eBay, Paypal and others.
But that does not interest the western media, which gives it minimal coverage. Of late, “negative journalism” sells and media houses, particularly foreign, tend to perceive India only through the lens of rape, poverty, caste, cows, rising Hindu nationalism, and now, cybercrime.
Using denigrating terms like “hack-for-hire” to describe the Indian cyber investigation community reeks of double standards, largely ignoring such incidents in their own backyard. Could it also be an attempt to weaken India’s cyber apparatus? Is it all a big lie? This imbalance has led to conflict of opinion between the truth about India and the international media’s image of it.
Foreign correspondents do valuable work, but in the newspaper business, you sell stories and to do that, you have to peddle a “certain” narrative. It seems they feel that a narrative of outrage is a bestseller.
For instances, rape stories, communal scuffle, incidents of cyber investigation, or crime, can make into international dailies or prestigious international news agencies like Reuter ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
