The implications of the 5G rollout for law enforcement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that the deployment of 5G in India will start sooner than expected. Reports suggest that the government will launch 5G at the inauguration of the India Mobile Congress on September 29. The long-awaited upgrade from 4G to 5G will allow for ultra-fast internet speeds and seamless connectivity across the country as compared to 4G. The implications of the 5G roll-out could be significant, especially for law enforcement in India.

ensure safety

On the one hand, the 5G roll-out is set to increase efficiency, productivity and security by helping police access critical information and nab criminals in real time. 5G has high bandwidth and low latency, so adopting it will ensure the best performance of police equipment such as body cams, facial recognition technology, automatic number-plate recognition, drones and CCTV. 5G promises to transmit clear images. This would simplify the work of the police, which, at present, often sees blurry images from equipment and attempts to decipher them while working on cases. The increased storage capacity promised by 5G will allow police to streamline their investigation methods. 5G will allow faster and safer communication within the organization as well as between citizens and emergency responders. With 5G, police can remotely access and analyze crime data and information from other infrastructure such as traffic lights.

But there are challenges in adopting 5G. The government and telecom companies must first ensure that law enforcement agencies have the necessary infrastructure to take full advantage of what 5G has to offer. Even if law enforcement agencies have access to secure data from telecom operators, they will still need equipment to access this data. Also, most police systems are out of date and may not be compatible with 5G. Police should invest in modern equipment, software and infrastructure to bridge this technology gap. For this they need funds.

cyber security concerns

As many people have pointed out, there are many concerns about 5G as well. The first, of course, is cyber security. When we have an unstable cyber security foundation, deploying 5G is like erecting a structure on soft sand. Since the previous networks were hardware based, India could practice cyber hygiene. But 5G is a software-defined digital routing. This makes it vulnerable to cyber threats such as botnet attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) overloads. Furthermore, since 5G lacks end-to-end encryption, hackers can plan their attacks more precisely and commit cybercrime by hacking into systems or spreading illegal content. Bandwidth expansion due to 5G will allow criminals to easily embezzle the data base. Over time, as 5G connects to additional devices, the frequency of attacks can increase.

The impact the roll-out of 5G can have on crime and criminals in India is very clear and should be taken seriously. For example, a person can set up a fake 5G tower on top of a public building and manipulate it to intercept private phone calls or send fake messages. Or it could steal a person’s phone, sign into their 5G connection with an existing account, gain access to the person’s data, or make purchases using the person’s credit card. Criminals can use 5G to hide their activities or hide their location. They could use 5G to quickly locate and track their victims, and to coordinate attacks through real-time communication with each other. Identity theft or credit card fraud or stealing information from computers, smartphones and tablets can reduce the chances of criminals getting caught.

5G could make cyberbullying easier for criminals. Due to the real-time communication capabilities between multiple criminal groups, criminal groups can easily be able to coordinate DDoS attacks. They can also hack Internet of Things (IoT) devices and commit crimes remotely. For example, they can hack into a victim’s vehicle and cause an accident to collect insurance money, or hack into smart homes and smart cars to loot personal information, or commit physical crimes. . Security patching of all IoT devices may eventually be necessary.

Terrorists can also benefit from 5G as higher speeds allow them to carry out attacks more quickly and accurately. With 5G, terrorists can plan attacks without physically traveling or using telephones, which could leave a trail for law enforcement agencies to take action.

fighting new age crimes

Therefore, the authorities have to adopt measures to prevent crimes facilitated by 5G technology. First, police will need to be trained so that they can recognize new 5G-enabled crimes. Second, training programs focusing on such crimes should be developed. This includes identifying new types of crimes and possible scenarios for their prevention. Third, the government and telecom companies may consider setting up a 5G crime surveillance task force to monitor and identify new crimes and develop countermeasures. Fourth, it is imperative to create regulations that make it a crime for people to use 5G technology to commit crimes. Such regulation could help deter criminals from using stolen or counterfeit equipment as telecommunications companies would be able to track the location of the equipment and turn it off remotely. Fifth, the regulations may also require telecommunications companies to allow police officers access to their equipment to track the location of victims and perpetrators to counter 5G-facilitated crimes. These countermeasures can not only protect critical infrastructure but also protect private citizens from cyber attacks using 5G technology. Lastly, law enforcement agencies will have to develop strategies to identify, trace, and act against the perpetrators of such crimes as victims of 5G-enabled crimes.

The 5G roll-out will prove to be a game-changer for law enforcement agencies. This will enable the police to fight crime effectively. At the same time, criminal use of 5G is inevitable. In this context, a recent recommendation by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India should include law enforcement requirements for the government to develop a national road map to implement 5G in the best possible manner.

Of. Jayant Murali is the Director General of Police of IWCID. thoughts are personal