CYBER CRIME: In simple language cyber crime can be considered as crimes done through the computer or something is targeted against a computer to do a crime. Cyber crimes can include activities like theft, forgery, defamation, computer hacking, etc. the abuse of computers has given a birth to a gamut of new ages crimes that are addressed by the Information Technology Act, 2000. Cyber law is a term used to describe the legal issues related to use of communications technology, particularly “cyberspace “. i.e. the internet. In essence, cyber law is an attempt to integrate the challenges presented by human activity on the internet with legacy system of laws applicable to the physical world.
Cyber law in India: When internet was developed, the founding fathers of internet hardly had any idea about the revolution going to happen on the internet. Today, there are many disturbing things happening in cyberspace. due to the anonymous nature of the internet, it is possible to engage into a variety of criminal activities. Hence the need for cyber laws in India.
Importance of cyber law: cyber law is important because it covers almost all aspects of transactions and activities on and concerning the, internet, the world wide web and cyberspace. at the first sight it may seem that cyber laws is very technical and it does not have any bearing to most activities in cyberspace. But we realize or not, every action and every reaction in cyberspace has some legal and cyber legal perspectives.
Advantages of cyber laws in India: The IT ACT 2000 attempts to change outdated laws and provide ways to deal with cyber crimes. we need such laws so that people can perform purchase transactions and other activities over the net without fear of misuse. The act offers the much-needed legal framework so that information is not denied legal effect, validity or enforce-ability. In view of the growth in transactions and communications carried out through electronic records, the act seeks to empower government departments to accept filing, creating and retention of official documents in the digital format. The act also proposed a legal framework for the authentication and origin of electronic records, digital signature etc.
From the perspective of e- commerce in Indian, the IT Act 2000 and its provisions contain many positive aspects. Firstly, the implications of these provisions for the e- businesses would be that email would now be a valid and legal form of communication in our country that can be duly produced and approved in a court of law .
• Companies shall now be able to carry out electronic commerce using the legal infrastructure provided by the act.
• Digital signatures have been given legal validity and sanction in the act.
• The act throws open the doors for the entry of corporate companies in the business of being certifying authorities for issuing digital signatures certificates.
• The act now allows government to issue notification on the web thus heralding e- governance.
• Under the IT Act 2000 it shall now be responsible for corporate to have a statutory remedy in case if anyone breaks into their computer systems or network and causes damages or copies data. The remedy provided by the act is in the form of monetary damages, not exceeding RS. 1 crore.
The act not only works in the above-mentioned points but instead in every aspect possible and continues to improve day by day.
Article By Arushi Agrawal
Edited By Mahima Gupta