India Calls For Action To Stop Terrorists Exploiting The Net

UNITED NATIONS: Citing the use of internet technologies during the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, India has called for changes to the management of the internet infrastructure to prevent terrorists from exploiting it.

India's UN Ambassador Asoke Kumar Mukerji, speaking to the UN Security Council Wednesday during a marathon session on international cooperation to combat terrorism, drew attention "to the increasingly sophisticated use of technology and communications to commit ever more barbaric acts of terror".

He recalled the Mumbai attack and said, "This was the first time that we confronted the use of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to direct terrorist acts. We believe that if we are serious about countering this challenge in an effective manner, we must agree on necessary adjustments to be made in the way the global Internet infrastructure is currently managed in order to counter the exploitation of the Internet by terrorists."

Mukerji also urged the Council to "add its collective voice" for the early conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that would legally compel countries to either prosecute or extradite terrorists.

The drafting of the convention is now languishing in the UN General Assembly's legal committee which is deadlocked over defining terrorism.