Goa: BITS Pillani students develop solution to screen radical content online

Tue, 18 March 2025

19:28

BITS Pilani in Goa has developed a pathbreaking solution to screen radical content online, and the Union home ministry has lauded the institute's efforts, which can help security agencies in the country.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was recently shown a presentation on the implementation of newly enacted criminal laws (BNS and BNSS), was impressed with BITS Pilani's project, which the Goa police have adopted.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was present for the presentation.

Dr Hemant Rathore, a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at the institute's Goa campus, said students developed two innovative solutions -- radical content detection and fake URL detection -- as part of its outreach programme.

He said, "Security agencies can use the radical content detection solution to identify radical videos, and the general public can use the fake website detection solution to distinguish between malicious or fake websites and original ones."

Rathore said Union Minister Shah acknowledged the solution during a meeting.

He thanked the institute's vice-chancellor and director, Suman Kundu, and professor Shantanu Sarkar, head of the Computer Science department, for providing logistic, infrastructure and financial support in developing these solutions.

A group of students worked on this ambitious project that helps identify and filter online content that can spread hate. Rohit Raj, a third-year computer science student, said that the idea originated from a hackathon organised by the Goa police, where the problem statement was to address online videos containing extremely radical content that can instigate violence, hatred, and discrimination. -- PTI

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