India is currently overly dependent on US-based social media platforms, cybersecurity services, cloud storage and other chip-based software, that makes it vulnerable to security breaches in these times of geopolitical tensions, said think tank, Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), in its latest report.
With over 500 million Indian smartphones run on Google's Android, for instance, the country's communications system is at the mercy of US decisions, further cautioned Ajay Srivastava, founder of GTRI.
“Washington is in a position to cut off services or access to data, disrupting banking, governance, and defence systems, while controlling public discourse through foreign platforms,” the report warned.
Also Read: India challenges US tariffs on copper at WTO
To prevent India’s digital backbone from getting “crippled overnight by US tech giants who can pull the plug on Windows, Android, or cloud services” at any point, Srivastava suggests India launches a "Digital Swaraj Mission" that has its own sovereign cloud, indigenous OS (operating system), homegrown cybersecurity, and data-driven AI leadership at the core.
Drawing a parallel with China, which has also replaced foreign code in government, defense, and industrial systems with indigenous platforms, he said Europe is also already building sovereign cloud and enforcing the Digital Markets Act.
India’s indigenous software services mission can be rolled out in phases, said Srivastava, so that India can mandate sovereign cloud hosting for critical data, launch a national OS programme, and pilot Linux transitions in key ministries in a short span of 1-2 years, after which it can take another 3-5 years to fully migrate to Indian software.
"By the long-term (5-7 years), India must achieve cloud parity, replace foreign OS in defence and critical sectors, and create globally competitive open-network platforms," he noted.
Follow us
