cybercrime: Need tighter regulations to deal with cybercrimes: IT minister

There is a need for tighter regulations to deal with cybercrimes, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.

Replying to questions in the Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw underlined the need to have “a lot of discussions and a broader consensus” on bringing “stricter norms” for over-the-top (OTT) platforms to check the telecast of movies and serials that create disharmony among various communities and religions.

“This subject of cybercrimes, the way it is affecting our children, actually there is a need to have a consensus for making much tighter regulation. There is no doubt about it,” the minister said during the Question Hour.

“(Whenever) we make cyber laws tighter by even a little bit and try to implement it, all of our members start shouting that democracy is being throttled and people’s right to freedom is being taken away,” he added.

Raising the issue of cybercrimes and children becoming victims of cyber bullying, Congress member Hibi Eden noted that existing cyber laws were “quite weak” to deal with the problem.

He asked if there was a specific instruction from Vaishnaw’s ministry to increase the awareness level of officials in various government departments on cybercrimes and also making it part of the curriculum for students.

The minister, in a written (starred) reply, said the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes statistical data on crimes in its publication ‘Crime in India’.

“The latest published report is for the year 2020. As per data published by NCRB, a total of 306 and 1,102 cases of cyber crime against children were registered during the year 2019 and 2020 respectively,” he added.

He noted that the central government has taken measures in consultation with various stakeholders to strengthen the mechanism to deal with cybercrimes, including crimes against children, in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.

Replying to a question asked by Congress member M K Vishnu Prasad as to whether the government would consider bringing in stricter norms to censor the OTTs where movies and serials create disharmony among various religions and communities, the minister said all over the world, people are “really worried” with the way social media intermediaries have become “all pervasive today”.

“All over the world, people are really worried where the entire cyber world is moving because the way social media intermediaries have become all pervasive today. So the point that the member has raised today needs a broader consensus, not only in India but across the world. We need to have lots of discussion and a broader consensus in our society for this,” the minister said.

In response to another question, Vaishnaw said Entries 34 and 62 of List II of the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution provide for regulation and taxation of ‘betting and gambling’ to be under states’ legislative powers.

“Based on the erstwhile Public Gambling Act, 1867, most State Governments have enacted their laws to deal with betting and gambling within their jurisdictions. Some State Governments have extended their legislative and regulatory control over Online Games within their jurisdictions using these entries in the Seventh Schedule,” he added.

Vaishnaw said the Ministry of Electronics and IT does not have legislative jurisdiction over contents of internet games, except that it has the power to order blocking of public access to information on internet under specified conditions of section 69A of the IT Act, 2000 and following the due process specified in the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.

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