G20 Summit: From AI to drones how security forces are using technology to guard the event

G20 Summit: India is all set to host the G20 summit on September 9 and September 10. The summit will be marked by the presence of world leaders including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and French President Emmanual Macron. A total of 35 hotels have been booked by different missions and the Ministry of External Affairs to accommodate guests and dignitaries of various countries who will take part in the summit. Given the magnanimity and significance of the event, the Indian government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the safety and security of the guests at the G20 Summit. Security forces in India are coordinating with their foreign counterparts and have deployed more than 1,30,000 security personnel on the ground. 

To make the arrangement foolproof, the administration is also taking the help of advanced technologies to keep an eye on elements that pose security threats to the summit and its attendees. All the CCTVs guarding Delhi’s borders and venues associated with the summit are equipped with intrusion alert and posture detection software. This software is developed by AI research company Staqu and will help security personnel to filter out suspicious movement. This advanced software will raise alarms and alerts if it finds any person scaling the wall, running or showing unusual body movements such as crawling or limping with a bent back. 

Security agencies are also regulating traffic in and around New Delhi from September 7 to September 11. Traffic restrictions have been placed around the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area and the flow of general traffic will remain affected on National Highway 48 (NH-48). To manage traffic effectively during the summit, the administration is using advanced traffic control measures and technologies including smart traffic signals, real-time traffic updates through mobile apps and traffic surveillance systems to ensure smooth flow and minimise congestion.

Even the sky has not been kept unguarded during the summit. The Indian Air Force is playing an important role in this with their advanced technologies and instruments. The IAF is deploying various technological systems such as drones, counter-drone systems, air defence missiles, and airborne surveillance platforms to protect dignities and delegates on the ground from any untoward incident. These systems will keep an eye on slow-moving small drones launched locally, missiles, and even planes such as those used in the 9/11 attacks.

It will also help the Indian Air Force in its graded process, which begins with radars and airborne sensors detecting any airborne threats. In the next step, they will help the Air Force identify the nature of the object in question and finally Air Force will take the most appropriate step to neutralize the threat. The assessment will be fast and will happen in real-time through IAF’s networks and nodes.

In addition to this, the government is also taking good care of the cyberinfrastructure to prevent any disruption to the summit from the cyber attackers. Authorities are taking a slew of measures including a ‘zero-trust policy’ that relies on strong authentication and authorisation for every device and person before allowing them to access or transfer data on a private network. Authorities have also planned least-privilege access for everyone other than admin.

Furthermore, no external devices are allowed to connect to the internet in the venue and agencies such as CERT-IN are using advanced tech and tools to thwart any attack. These measures are not just limited to the venue. Authorities have even asked hotels that are accommodating to monitor and log all attempts to access network devices and to disable all router interfaces and switch ports that are not used. This has been done to prevent unauthorised access.