Prevention and control of cyber crimes in India: problems, issues and strategies

Abstract

As a saying in criminology goes a crime will happen where and only when the opportunity avails itself. Until recently, we were aware of only traditional types of crimes like murder, rape, theft, extortion, robbery, dacoity etc. But now with the development and advancement of science and technology there came into existence machines like computers and facilities like internet. The internet has opened up a whole new virtual heaven for the people both good and bad, clever and naive to enter and interact with lot of diverse cultures and sub-cultures, geography and demographics being no bar. The very same virtues of internet when gone in wrong hands or when exploited by people with dirty minds and malicious intentions, make it a virtual hell. Stories of copyright theft, hacking and cracking, virus attacks and plain hoaxes etc. have mounted up in the last few years. As a result of the rapid adoption of the internet globally, computer crimes are multiplying like mushrooms. The law enforcement officials have been frustrated by the inability of the legislators to keep cyber crime legislation ahead of the fast moving technological curve. At the same time, the legislators face the need to balance the competing interests between individual rights such as privacy and free speech, and the need to protect the integrity of the world s public and private networks.