In the past few decades, the world has become heavily dependent on information technology. With this we also come across the various instances of cyber crime where it is not just limited to being a mere computer crime but has a huge impact on the society as well. With our maximum number of tasks being performed through the medium of internet it exposes a lot of private data to the network. It has also resulted in becoming an evident threat to an individual’s privacy. The openness and unboundedness of the network has made it easier for the criminal to escape, he goes unchecked as the legal provisions remain superfluous. It has overtaken the conventional infrastructures be it of cables, voice industry, broadcasters, or the print world. It has turned out to be a new opportunity for the criminal mind. Another arena of intellectual property has also been severely affected by it. There is an abundance of information on the internet and this leads to poor patent quality, more copyright and trademark infringements. It even results in a negative impact on the prosecution procedure as the workload and pressure of the patent examining authorities is increasing with the rising number of issues related to the same. The amount of information on the internet is mammoth and this has even affected the economic factor as the cost of retrieving the relevant data has risen up. The problems concerning theft of data through the medium of internet or the unauthorised publication of some one’s work has become a common issue. The easy ways of cut, copy and paste has blurred the boundaries between original and copied work. The storage of vast amounts of data has resulted in its mass copying by uncountable netizens. The criminals take advantage of anonymity on the platform and resort to various ways of defrauding people. Expanding horizons of internet and digitization has resulted in an entire new generation of crimes- the cyber-crimes.
In the contemporary times, computer glitches, cyber crimes and informational harms rising rapidly. The investigation process which involves fact finding and the search for truth is facing legal, technical, operational, and political challenges on its path. To check the behaviour of an individual online and to achieve the purpose of criminal law traditional laws have geared up to some extent and are changing, thereby suiting to the environment of the internet age. To meet the changing legal needs newer technology specific laws are coming in advanced societies. The internet boom has expanded the horizons of criminal activity and has also empowered the non-deviant and inactive criminal to take up new criminal activities which are online. Some of the cyber activities that have been brought within the legal entrenchment are hacking, obscene electronic material, stalking and a few others. But others escape regulation because of their esoteric nature. As it is important for a civilised society to have law similarly it is important to have a legislation to regulate electronic activities. The effect of these crimes is found in the real world though it is committed in the virtual surroundings. However, it is not as easy as it sounds.
In India, cyber laws are contained in the Information Technology Act, 2000, which came into force on October 17, 2000. The main purpose of the Act is to provide legal recognition to electronic commerce and to facilitate filing of electronic records with the Government.
“The existing laws of India, even with the most compassionate and liberal interpretation could not be interpreted in the light of the emergency cyberspace, to include all aspects relating to different activities in cyberspace. In fact, the practical experience and the wisdom of judgement found that it shall not be without major threats and pitfalls, if the existing laws were to be interpreted in the scenario of emerging cyberspace, without enacting new cyber laws. Hence, their is a need for enactment of relevant cyber laws.”
These technological changes have affected jurisdiction and evidence which are two of the most sensitive areas of the legal system.
Jurisdictional issues:
In the technological spree it is the worst from of casualty. Jurisdiction has always remained a complex issue in international/ transnational matters but it has become even more of a complex issue in cyber-crimes. The majority of cyber-crimes such as stalking, spamming, unauthorised access etc. are often done remotely from a different country. For example, in the case of United States vs. Ivanov, the statue such as the CFAA was explicitly stated to be applied extraterritorially but in several other statues no such provisions are there and are thus the courts are left to decide with the jurisdictional decisions.
Evidence collection and privacy concerns:
There has been an unending conflict between the collection of evidence and upholding the privacy of the individual so concerned. Computers in a household are one of the most personal assets of the occupant and illegally searching or seizing them might give rise to serious privacy concerns and might lead to the infringement of one’s personal rights. In the light of the same we would discuss two cases. The first one is a case of the United States of America. In Washington vs. Nordlund, the Washington court of appeals had held that warrants which the describe particularly the likelihood that a computer contains data evidencing a crime must show nexus between the crime and data. In India right to privacy is a constitutional right, safeguarded in several judgements. For example, in the case of People’s Union for civil liberties vs. Union of India, it was held by the supreme court that tapping of phone is a serious invasion of privacy which is a part of the individual’s right to “life and personal liberty” and these rights cannot be taken away in by the state except in cases of public emergency.
It can be observed that there exists a policy vacuum regarding how computer technology should be used. Adequate policies must exist for conduct in these situations i.e., policies should be formulated to guide the actions of the users of the network. Another observation made while the research work was done that people are still not fully aware of the correct and safe usages of internet and awareness is required. It is also essential to bring transformations in the traditional laws to suit to the changing times of technological innovations. Digital training for the law enforcement agencies is very much the need of the hour for better functioning of the justice system. Science and technology are an inevitable part of our life and thus the laws also need to evolve accordingly.
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