India, UK agree to deepen cooperation for safe and robust cyberspace

India and UK have agreed to deepen cooperation between their cyber agencies in order to build a “safe and robust cyberspace”, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday.

The sixth cyber dialogue between the two countries, which was held in New Delhi on Wednesday, focused on cyber threat assessment, internet governance, data protection and protection of critical infrastructure.

The discussions also covered capacity building and cooperation in multilateral forums, including the latest developments in the cyber realm at the United Nations, the ministry said.

“Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation between their respective cyber agencies in order to build a safe and robust cyberspace,” it added.

The dialogue was co-chaired by Amit Shukla, joint secretary in the cyber diplomacy division of the external affairs ministry and Kat Jones, head of strategy in the cyber policy department of Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The Indian delegation included officials from external affairs, home and electronics and information technology ministries, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Center (I4C), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), CERT-In and the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC).

The delegation from the UK comprised officials from the National Cyber Security Centre, cyber policy department of the FCDO and representatives of the cyber policy team of the UK high commission.