India and the US have signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation in cybercrime investigations, as announced by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The agreement was signed just days before the Biden administration was set to hand over power to the Trump administration. “The MoU allows the respective agencies of the two countries to step up the level of cooperation and training with respect to the use of cyber threat intelligence and digital forensics in criminal investigations,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

In India, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Union Home Ministry is in charge of carrying out the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). In the United States, the agencies involved are the Department of Homeland Security, along with its divisions, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center (C3). 

Cybercrimes, according to the External Affairs Ministry, have "intricate linkages with the common security challenges faced by India and the US," including money laundering, illegal migration, drug trafficking, organised crime, human trafficking, terrorism and violent extremism, and transportation security. "As part of our comprehensive and global strategic partnership, the MoU on cybercrime investigations will enable further strengthening of India-US security cooperation," the statement read.