en.Wedoany.com Reported - S Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), stated that India needs to expand its strategic autonomy and strengthen control over hardware related to artificial intelligence (AI) and biometric authentication systems.

Speaking at an event organized by the policy think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Krishnan said that seeking strategic autonomy is necessary given the scale of India's market and its heavy reliance on various devices. He noted that Europe and the United States are also advancing similar initiatives. India has already taken action in the telecommunications and closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera sectors, and the scope needs to be expanded to more areas, particularly artificial intelligence.

Krishnan remarked that the influence of AI in fields such as manufacturing and agriculture is growing, driven by the vast amounts of data collected by sensors and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These devices are sometimes akin to inaccessible "black boxes," making it necessary for the government to ensure the credibility of their sources. He added that this issue needs to be examined from the perspectives of industrial espionage and even strategic concerns.

Krishnan warned that the problem extends to the government's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) stack, which involves biometric authentication through a range of devices. The integrity of electronic systems and their operational methods are becoming increasingly critical for AI and DPI.

To address these challenges, MeitY introduced mandatory requirements for CCTV systems in April 2024, mandating public disclosure of the sources of key hardware such as system-on-chips, along with rigorous laboratory testing to prevent unauthorized remote access. The directive also restricts government departments from procuring unverified surveillance hardware to avoid data leaks through foreign-manufactured firmware or hidden backdoors.

In the telecommunications sector, under national security directives, operators are now only permitted to procure equipment from government-designated trusted sources and trusted product lists.

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