A Critical Analysis of Effectiveness of Cyber Law In India Tashveer Kaur Legal Article Mon, May 15, 2023, at ,10:45 AM INTRODUCTIONCyber laws are the laws which safeguard people from crimes that take place over internet. In today’s world, they are of extreme importance as the usage of internet and its related activities has been increased. People for their own benefits indulge into such activities through internet which acts against the other ‘s right to privacy. Whether present cyber laws are effective or not depends on the increase and development of internet technology in India. EVOLUTION OF CYBER LAWS IN INDIA In July 1998, Department of Electronics (DOE) made draft of The Information Technology but it was introduced in House on 16 December 1999 after the formation of IT ministry. This was the first law passed for cyber protection. In 2011, National Cyber Security policy was realised by Indian Government which provided guidance to deal with cyber laws. In 2013, India realised a cybersecurity policy. In 2019, a personal data protection bill was passed to protect the personal data of individuals.EFFECTIVENESS OF CYBER LAWS It is quite disappointing for India not to have any specific laws that deals with cyber laws. Though there are variety of laws that take into aspect cyber crimes such as Indian penal code, the information technology act, prevention of money laundering etc., but they not as effective as specific laws The increasing number of cyber crimes indicate a need for some specific cyber laws.If we compare Indian cyber laws with that of any other country, we can reach to a conclusion that India’s cyber laws are not that strict. Taking the example of punishment for child pornography in India and USA. In India, the imprisonment for child pornography under POCSO act is 5 years whereas in USA, the punishment for the same is around 15-20 years. The internet and the advancement of technology have invited the need for stricter cyber laws. India formed the act in 2000 when there was less usage of internet and less development of technology. In today’s world where every personal details of the person is stored on his or her mobile phone, laptop or computer, so it is important to safeguard people ‘s information. The Information Technology Act ,2000 only provides punishment of life imprisonment for cyber crimes. Other offences only have imprisonment for three to seven years. A mere hacking is not punishable until it results in phishing, money laundering , email frauds etc. NEED FOR AMENDMENTSAfter the Outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic, the usage of internet has been increased at a very high speed. Where there were only 2 mobile phones in one home, now there are almost 6-7 phones in one home, increasing the scope of cyber crimes.Nowadays, teenagers are not only subject to physical crimes like those involving weapons or arms but also the crimes through internet, mobile phones and gadgets. There is increase in revenge porn attacks. Taking this into consideration, the ministry of women and child has decided to change laws that deals with cybercrimes against women with special attention on revenge porn.With the development of AI like ChatGPT, it seems like previous laws does not cover any aspects of protection against AI techniques.CHANGES AND LAWS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO KEEP AN EYE ON INCREASING CYBER CRIMES In order to keep a check on cyber crimes, there need to introduced some measures which includes: The state must set clear guidelines for collecting, monitoring and storing data for high tech companies and other stakeholders which associated with such companies. There must be a strong private policy and security measures to protect citizens from cyber security threats. Simple language must be used in order to draft user policy and user agreements. As supreme court in one of the case held that money laundering is more serious and heinous crime than Murder, there is need for special laws relating to money laundering as it is observed that cases of money laundering are increasing after the introduction of cryptocurrency. The age of cryptocurrency demands better laws, otherwise these can act as a danger to our economy. The present laws does not cover much aspect of cryptocurrency. There must be rules and regulations regarding the use of articial intelligence otherwise people can make harmful use of such instruments. Laws regarding non consensual porn must be properly laid down. Amendments need to be made in the laws pertaining to digital economy. SUGGESTIONS MADE IN CASE OF VIJAY MADANLAL CHAUDHARY v. UNION OF INDIA Supreme court suggested the following changes in order to combat with increasing cyber crime cases: CBI must probe into all videos which are made public. A task force must be set up to deal with specific matters like fraud etc. There must be a toll free number where victims can immediately seek help. A national cyber offenders register of convicted cyber offenders must be maintained. Ministry of Home Affairs should toe up with Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube so that quick action can be taken Specialised training must be given to senior law enforcers on matters relating to cyber crimes. CONCLUSION: Thus, changes are required in Indian law regarding cyber crimes due to change in technology like introduction of artificial intelligence, step towards digitalisation and increased use of mobile phones and social media. If Indian government does not take any strict and immediate action, then these cyber crimes will keep on rising and will adversely affect our economy and development.REFERENCES Digital tax fine but what about crypto money laundering via Dark Web?, The Economic Times, 7th February 2022 Asheeta Regidi, New laws for revenge porn to be introduced First Post, 3rd July 2017 https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/new-laws-for-revenge-porn-to-be-introduced-we-have-a-look-at-some-of-the-required-changes-3703905.html Accessed on 4th May 2023 Experts claim that cyber laws need to be updated to tackle new cyber security threats First Post, 3rd March 2017 https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/experts-claim-that-cyber-laws-need-to-be-updated-to-tackle-new-cyber-security-threats-3698739.html Accessed on 5th May 2023 Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary V. Union of India -2018 SCC OnLine Sc 244 Big data and Future of Privacy in India by Tabassum Chaudhary { 28 ALJ(2020-2021)159}