Creating a safer online experience

Mr Anthony Riem, researcher on online security, asserts, “Over 50% of all the fraud committed in the first half of the 21st century were cybercrimes.”

In the light of such facts, it is clear that cybercrime is a major security concern for network developers and lawyers today. Laws and legislation are in place to deal with online violations but most people remain unaware. To spread awareness about the legal precepts of online decorum and legislation governing cybercrime in India, the Department of Law organised a Workshop on Cybercrime in India and Globalised World: Issues and Challenges, on January 2, 2020 at 4.30 PM

Dr Anirban Mazumdar was the resource person for the event. He set the stage by discussing some of the most famous cyber crime cases in legal history and informing participants about India’s stringent cyber laws. “Most of us remember the Nigerian lottery case where you would be duped into providing confidential information to scammers disguised as lottery agents. Scammers targeting the vulnerable posit a great threat to our country’s security and our laws can combat this,” he claimed.

Are all cyber violations governed by malintent? No. Using the example of the historic Yahoo! vs LICRA case, Dr Mazumdar clarified, “Activists have been using loopholes to spread a message since the inception of the Internet. The case had French protesters filing cases against Yahoo! for selling Nazi memorabilia and was historic in the sense that the French court was allowed to pass a judgment on Yahoo! even though the sellers and the site were not within French jurisdiction.” It is upto the lawyers then, Dr Mazumdar said, “to uphold the spirit of the law.”

The key takeaway from the workshop was to educate oneself about the legal measures in place to prevent cyber crimes and resources available to help victims cope with cyber violations. The session ended with a vote of thanks by the head of the department, Dr Koushik Banerjee.