![Cyber Stalking and Defamation Criminalized in IT Act Amendments]()
Cyber Stalking and Defamation Criminalized in IT Act Amendments
Nov 03, 2010
With mobile phones now essentially serving as personal computers, proposed amendments to the Information Technology Act, 2006, specify that transmitting offensive or menacing text, audio, or video can result in two years of imprisonment. This punishment also applies if the content is false and intended to cause annoyance, inconvenience, danger, or insult. Furthermore, using a cellphone to impersonate and cheat someone can lead to five years of imprisonment. The need to define "communication device" in the proposed amendments arose because the current law does not specify which devices fall under this category. The amended IT Act clarifies that a cellphone or a personal digital assistant (PDA) is considered a communication device, allowing legal action accordingly. In light of various scandals over the past two years, including the arrest of a prominent portal's CEO, the government has introduced new cybercrimes under the proposed law. The amended Act, presented to the ...
