Cyber Laws in India

In today’s rising cyber world, cyber crimes have skyrocketed. It is mandatory for us to be aware of the laws pertaining to it for our own safekeeping.

Criminal activities such as theft, fraud, forgery, defamation and mischief are all cyber crimes subject to the Indian Penal Code.

The abuse of computers has also given birth to a gamut of a new age of crimes that are addressed by the Information Technology Act, 2000.

 

Cyber crimes are of two types – one, where the computer is the target as in it is hacked, there is a worm attack or a DOS attack and so on, or two, where the computer is the weapon and commits real-world crimes such as cyber terrorism, IPR violation, credit card frauds, EFT frauds, pornography and so on.

Here are some of the most vital laws that and their penalties that one must have knowledge of – 

 

1. Section 65

Offence: Tampering with Computer Source Documents – If a person knowingly or intentionally conceals, destroys or alters or intentionally or knowingly causes another to conceal, destroy or alter any computer source code used for a computer, computer program, computer system or computer network, when the computer source code is required to be kept or maintained by law for the time being in force.

Penalty: Imprisonment up to three years, or/and with fine up to Rs 2,00,000.

 

2. Section 66

Offence: Hacking with Computer System - If a person with the intent to cause or knowing that he is likely to cause wrongful loss or damage to the public or any person destroys or deletes or alters any information residing in a computer resource or diminishes its value or utility or affects it injuriously by any means, commits hack.

Penalty: Imprisonment up to three years, or/and with fine up to Rs 5,00,000.

 

3. Section 66B

Offence: Receiving Stolen Computer or Communication Device - A person receives or retains a computer resource or communication device which is known to be stolen or the person has reason to believe is stolen.

Penalty: Imprisonment up to three years, or/and with fine up to Rs 1,00,000.

 

4. Section 66C

Offence: Using Password of Another Person - A person fraudulently uses the password, digital signature or other unique identification of another person.

Penalty: Imprisonment up to three years, or/and with fine up to Rs 1,00,000.

 

5. Section 66D

Offence: Cheating Using Computer Resource - If a person cheats someone using a computer resource or communication.

Penalty: Imprisonment up to three years, or/and with fine up to Rs 1,00,000.

 

6. Section 66E

Offence: Publishing Private Images of Others - If a person captures, transmits or publishes images of a person's private parts without his/her consent or knowledge.

Penalty: Imprisonment up to three years, or/and with fine up to Rs 2,00,000.

 

7. Section 66F

Offence: Acts of Cyber Terrorism - If a person denies access to an authorised personnel to a computer resource, accesses a protected system or introduces a contaminant into a system, with the intention of threatening the unity, integrity, sovereignty or security of India, then he commits cyberterrorism.

Penalty: Imprisonment up to life.

 

8. Section 67

Offence: Publishing Information which is Obscene in Electronic Form - If a person publishes or transmits or causes to be published in the electronic form, any material which is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest or if its effect is such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it.

Penalty: Imprisonment up to five years, or/and with fine up to Rs 10,00,000.