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By:

Bhaskar Nath Biswal

13 May 2026 at 8:30:30 pm

E-Commerce’s Hidden Threat

The modern Indian marketplace no longer echoes exclusively with the chaotic bustle of traditional bazaars. Instead, it thrives within the silent, instantaneous clicks of smartphone screens. From monthly groceries to high-end electronics, digital retail has fundamentally altered how households across the country consume goods. This transition has undoubtedly unleashed unprecedented convenience, democratizing access to products for millions living outside metro cities. However, this...

E-Commerce’s Hidden Threat

The modern Indian marketplace no longer echoes exclusively with the chaotic bustle of traditional bazaars. Instead, it thrives within the silent, instantaneous clicks of smartphone screens. From monthly groceries to high-end electronics, digital retail has fundamentally altered how households across the country consume goods. This transition has undoubtedly unleashed unprecedented convenience, democratizing access to products for millions living outside metro cities. However, this hyper-connected landscape has also exposed a deeply troubling reality. As digital storefronts expand, so does the shadowy ecosystem of cybercriminals eager to exploit the trust and vulnerabilities of unsuspecting shoppers. The digital transaction, once celebrated as a triumph of modern engineering, is increasingly fraught with unseen hazards. Protecting consumers from e-shopping fraud has now become an urgent national imperative. Fraud Surge The sheer scale of India’s e-commerce revolution provides vital context for why online shopping has become such a high-stakes arena. Recent market estimates indicate that India’s e-commerce economy has surged well beyond $140 billion, driven by over 300 million active digital shoppers. Projections show this user base rapidly swelling toward 400 million, largely fuelled by deep internet penetration, affordable smart phones and seamless payment infrastructure like the Unified Payments Interface across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Yet, this remarkable surge in commercial volume has been mirrored by an equally dramatic escalation in cybercrime statistics. Official records from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal reveal that citizens have filed over 3.8 million cyber fraud complaints, representing staggering financial losses exceeding Rs. 36,000 crore, with a significant portion stemming from fraudulent online retail schemes. Perhaps most alarming is the historical recovery rate, where less than one percent of stolen funds is successfully returned to victims once transactions cross cyber borders. Despite the pervasive presence of online threats, digital consumers frequently fall into predictable traps that expose them to severe risk. A primary misstep is the failure to maintain basic password hygiene, with millions of shoppers reusing weak or identical passwords across multiple e-commerce platforms and email accounts, enabling attackers to execute swift cascading breaches. Furthermore, shoppers frequently bypass critical verification steps in pursuit of speed, such as failing to verify whether a website domain uses secure, encrypted connections before typing in card credentials. Another widespread oversight is performing financial transactions over unsecured public Wi-Fi networks in cafes or transport hubs, which allows bad actors to intercept sensitive data packets in transit. Many consumers also neglect regular software updates on their smartphones, leaving unpatched security vulnerabilities wide open to malware. Above all, emotional urgency remains the greatest weakness. Impulsive buyers frequently ignore glaring red flags, such as suspicious payment requests or unverified seller profiles. Decoding Scams Recognizing that awareness is the frontline of defence, key industry players and digital safety advocates have begun taking structured action. A prominent example is the consumer handbook, ‘Your Guide to Safe Online Shopping’, developed by Safer Internet India and commissioned by Amazon. The initiative aims to demystify complex cyber security concepts and provide consumers with actionable, real-world tools to navigate the digital marketplace safely. The handbook shines a bright light on the most prevalent fraudulent tactics currently plaguing buyers. To combat these threats, the safety guide emphasizes a multi-layered approach to consumer protection. It urges shoppers to verify web addresses meticulously, refrain from sharing one-time passwords and avoid conducting transactions off authorized brand platforms. Equally important, the guide bridges the gap between technical vigilance and legal empowerment by outlining explicit consumer rights under Indian laws and detailing formal grievance redressal mechanisms. A sustainable defence against online shopping fraud requires an integrated, multi-stakeholder strategy that aligns consumer awareness, corporate accountability and robust law enforcement. E-commerce platforms must continue investing aggressively in advanced artificial intelligence tools to detect cloned websites, eliminate fake merchant accounts and intercept suspicious payment flows before they reach consumers. Concurrently, regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies must strengthen real-time intervention frameworks, expanding initiatives like the 1930 cyber crime helpline and emergency account-freezing protocols to minimize financial damage when breaches happen. On the demand side, continuous public awareness campaigns, modelled after comprehensive handbooks, must reach deep into semi-urban and rural regions where first-time internet users are most susceptible to manipulation. Ultimately, building a safe digital shopping environment is about preserving trust. Only when digital literacy keeps pace with technological innovation can India truly reap the economic rewards of its e-commerce revolution without sacrificing the security of its citizens. (The writer is a former college Principal and Founder of Supporting Shoulders, an Odisha-based non-profit Trust. Views personal.)

The Intelligence Paradox

In the age of AI, the deeper challenge is whether human judgment can keep pace with the machines we have built.

AI generated image
AI generated image

A student today can write an essay in minutes with the help of artificial intelligence. A doctor can consult AI systems to analyze medical scans, and a lawyer can generate a legal draft within seconds. Tasks that once required hours of human effort can now be completed almost instantly, illustrating how rapidly intelligent machines are entering professional and everyday life.


Artificial intelligence is advancing at a pace that would have seemed unimaginable just a decade ago. Machines can write essays, translate languages, detect diseases, compose music, and assist scientists in complex research. As these capabilities expand rapidly, a quieter but far more important question arises: is human intelligence keeping pace with the technologies we are creating?


This question is no longer theoretical. Artificial intelligence is already reshaping classrooms, workplaces, and homes. Schools are introducing AI tools into learning environments, companies are redesigning work around automation, and governments are beginning to frame policies to regulate its expanding role. Precisely because AI is becoming so powerful, it is worth asking what this transformation means for the development of human thinking itself.


Natural Intelligence

To address this question, we must first understand what natural intelligence really means. Natural intelligence is not merely the ability to recall information or retrieve facts. It is the living activity of the human brain, which constantly interprets, evaluates, and responds to the world.


When we think, imagine, judge, empathize, or make decisions, billions of neurons communicate through intricate networks shaped by experience. These neural connections are not fixed. They continuously reorganize as we learn, reflect, and solve problems. Intelligence, therefore, involves much more than processing information. It includes understanding meaning, weighing consequences, exercising judgment, and accepting responsibility for decisions.


The brain does not simply calculate answers. It integrates knowledge with experience, emotion, context, and values. This integration allows human beings to interpret situations, anticipate outcomes, and make responsible choices. That depth of understanding gives natural intelligence a richness that artificial systems have not yet replicated.


Much of the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence centers on computational speed. Modern computers can perform billions or even trillions of calculations every second, allowing them to analyze enormous datasets quickly. Yet speed alone does not define intelligence.


Power of Human Brain

The human brain operates with extraordinary efficiency. It consumes only about twenty watts of energy, roughly the power needed to light a small bulb. From this modest energy emerge language, imagination, creativity, emotional awareness, and moral reasoning. Despite decades of technological progress, no artificial system integrates all these capacities within a single coherent entity.


Computers and brains, therefore, represent different forms of intelligence. Computers excel at rapid calculations and pattern detection, while the human brain integrates perception, memory, emotion, and meaning. Artificial intelligence systems analyze massive datasets and generate responses based on statistical patterns, but they do not live experiences or confront moral dilemmas.


The comparison reminds us that intelligence is not defined only by speed or computational power. It is defined by understanding, judgment, and responsibility.


The digital age has given humanity unprecedented access to information. With a few keystrokes we can retrieve facts that once required hours of searching through books and libraries. This ease of access is one of the major achievements of modern technology and has transformed education, research, and communication.


However, the availability of information can sometimes create an illusion of understanding. Information and wisdom are not the same thing. Information tells us what is known, knowledge helps us understand it, and wisdom helps us decide what matters.


Information can be copied endlessly and transmitted instantly across the world. Wisdom grows slowly through experience, reflection, and engagement with uncertainty. It cannot simply be downloaded or generated automatically.


The brain grows stronger when it is challenged and used regularly. Analyzing arguments, solving difficult problems, and reflecting carefully before making decisions reinforce neural connections and deepen understanding. Intellectual effort is therefore not merely an academic exercise; it is the process through which thinking develops.


When machines perform many intellectual tasks for us, however, there is a risk that we gradually lose the habit of deep thinking. The paradox of the AI age is that as machines become better at answering questions, human beings must become better at asking the right ones and judging the answers.


Intellectual Passivity

For this reason, the danger is not that machines will become too intelligent but that human beings may become intellectually passive. Concerns about job losses due to automation are understandable, but the more fundamental challenge lies in preserving the habit of thoughtful reasoning.


These concerns are already visible in educational settings. Artificial intelligence can personalize learning, provide rapid feedback, and make knowledge more accessible to students. These benefits are real and should not be ignored.


Yet foundational intellectual abilities must develop before such tools dominate the learning process. Teachers have observed an interesting pattern. Essays generated with AI assistance may appear polished and fluent, but when students are asked to explain their reasoning, many struggle to articulate the arguments they have submitted.


A child who uses a calculator before understanding numbers may never develop number sense. Similarly, students who rely heavily on AI before learning to reason independently may fail to develop intellectual clarity. Reading carefully, writing ideas in one’s own words, and solving problems step by step remain essential mental exercises.


The implications extend far beyond education. Democracies depend on citizens capable of independent thought and informed judgment. Scientific progress requires researchers who question established ideas and test them rigorously. Leadership demands individuals who can weigh evidence carefully and make decisions under uncertainty. If societies begin to confuse instant answers with deep understanding, the quality of public debate may weaken.


Throughout history, technological tools have changed rapidly, but the quality of human judgment has always determined how those tools are used.


The future will not be decided by which system calculates faster. It will depend on whether human beings preserve depth of thought, independence of judgment, and responsibility for action.


(The author is an ANRF Prime Minister Professor at COEP Technological University, Pune; former Director of the Agharkar Research Institute, Pune; and former Visiting Professor at IIT Bombay. Views personal.)


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