The word social media was heard about it. Today's generation is called Gen Z. If
I say social media, they already started a conversation because of social media.
They are discussing memes regarding
the Indian Premier League season, some YouTube channels trolling the particular
cricketer, post on Instagram and Facebook, famous celebrities.
And social media
influences or selling and publicity of some cosmetics and food items, and
regarding the issues of cyber crimes on social
media platforms, for example, social media influences like Mr. X promoting the
particular brand of clothing in the comment section. In this article, I would
like to research the social media via
crimes emerging on these platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and some
apps, etc.
Historical background of hate crime in the global level.
Hate speech is defined by Steven J. Hayman as speech that violates someone's
right to recognition and dignity. It injures its targets unjustly in the
process. Furthermore, it harms the community, which is made up of respect and
acknowledgement for one another . How I define hate speech that
is hostile, malevolent, and biased toward an individual or group of individuals
due to perceived or actual innate qualities. Hate speech is intended to incite
hatred and is driven by hate. James von Brunn killed Security Guard Stephen
Tyrone Johns in 2009 when he broke into the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, and started shooting before more
security officers intervened. Held in high regard by white supremacists and
anti-semites alike, active-Nazi for many years before to the early 1990s, when
the internet started to gain traction as a public
forum. He had a long history of affiliations with well-known neo-Nazis and
Holocaust deniers, and he used the internet to distribute his pamphlets and
spread hate.
Anders Behring Breivik started a deadly rampage in 2011 when he set off a
vehicle bomb in front of an Oslo government office, killing eight people, and
then proceeded on a shooting rampage in Utoya Island, killing 69 more people.
Breivik was driven by fear and Islamophobia. In his deranged mind, he believed
that by assassinating Norwegian members of the socialist Labour party,
immigration laws would be reexamined, which would ultimately result in
coups didn't throughout
Europe, the expulsion of Muslims, and the punishment of traitors. He used the
Internet to meet like-minded individuals, mingled with them, took part in their
online and offline activities, and wrote his own lengthy manifesto, which
justified murder and violence as necessary steps to protect.
White Europe and end the immigration problem. The Breivik attack constitutes a
milestone. If before there was a close link between hate speech and hate crime,
since his attack we discern a further connection between hate crimes and
terrorism.
Historical perspective on hate crimes in India.
Under British control, the Indian population was subjected to severe oppression
due to the repressive laws imposed by the British. Still, throughout the period
of British colonialism, had been oppressed by the British's derogatory
strategies. Hate crimes, or violent crimes motivated by prejudice, have surfaced
numerous times since India was freed from colonial authority. Many of
these acts continue to be a sore spot on the country's purportedly secular
social fabric.
About 300 Kashmiri Pandits perished in the Kashmir region between September 1989
and 1990 as a result of a number of individual occurrences. Local Urdu
periodicals Aftab and Al Safa ordered
the expulsion of all Hindus who chose to stay in Kashmir in 1990 and encouraged
fellow Kashmiris to wage religious warfare against Indians.
The story of Hindu
annihilation in the name of jihad
was meant to gain widespread traction. The result was masked individuals
rampaging through the streets with assault rifles, like AK-47s, intending to
kill Hindus who defied their orders to leave the area. All Hindu homes had
notices posted on them telling them to leave within the next day or
face consequences.
Social media via cybercrimes in these platforms:
Every day, over 5,000 cyber complaints are filed in India. According to him,
cyber fraud cost 10,319 crore between April 1, 2021, and December 31, 2023. The
number of cybercrime complaints received increased from 26,049 in 2019 to over
15.5 lakh in 2023. 31 lakh complaints against cybercrime have been received in
the last five years, and 66,000 incidents have resulted in FIRs being filed.
Most cyber crimes were reported from Haryana, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Gujarat
and Goa. Among Union Territories, most complaints came from Delhi, followed by
Chandigarh..
It is typical for people to become victims on social networking networks. It's
not all terrible news, either. Among other things, social media has given
criminal justice organizations new ways to solve crimes. Therefore, social media
has a good, a bad, and an ugly side when it comes to its
interaction with criminal justice and the law, much like many other improvements
in
communication technology.
Social media crime.
- Hacking and Fraud
- Online Threats, Stalking. Online trolling/ pulling/ blackmailing and intimidation
- Buying illegal things
- Posting videos of criminal Activities
- Child and women exploitation
- Stock trading scams
- Indian premier League Season ticket scam
- Sex Tortion
In India 43% of internet users and the second largest globally internet users.
According to Oxford University 54 percent Indian go to the internet channel to
address the truth comparatively 29% of
United States having a 37 average globally. In January 2023 there are 448.8
million uses in Facebook and 252.4 million uses or Instagram, 96.79 million
users in LinkedIn.
Hacking and Fraud:
It is also the kind of crime committed on social media in India. Although it may
be acceptable among friends to gain access to a friend's social media account in
order to post a humiliating status update, doing so is officially a serious
crime. This suggests that the person who owns them imitation account intends to
tribe users.
Online Threats, Stalking, Cyberbullying:
Using the internet and other technological resources, the attacker continuously troubles the victim. Additionally, fraudsters use online communication platforms like e-mail, social networking sites, messengers, etc. to exploit, threaten, shame, and humiliate their victims. Cyber Extortion is the cybercrime in which con artists send and receives obscenely objectionable
sexually explicit text, photos, or videos via technology, particularly mobile phones.
Buying illegal things Through Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp, the offenders are spreading spam popularity in the
simplest possible way. The same platforms are also being used to post and transport
pornographic content.
Stock trading scams:
In this scam, victims get messages on WhatsApp or social media promoting classes
offering free trading advice. Upon clicking the advertising, users will be taken
to an unidentified WhatsApp group. Through these communities, scammers interact
with the victims and convince them to Invest by providing free trading
recommendations for buying and selling stocks.
After a few days, the scammers
advise the victims to install trading apps so they can receive more instructions
on
how to trade stocks and make enormous profits.The victims install programs that
aren't listed with the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI), including INSECG, CHS-SES, SAAI, SEQUOIA, and GOOMI. On the advice of
the con artists, they register and begin trading stocks. The money needed to
purchase shares is deposited into the bank accounts that the con artists
specify. The digital wallet displays fake profits.
Indian premier league season ticket scam:
The criminals created the fake website book.myshow-premium.net, emulating the
legitimate bookmyshow.com ticketing website. For those who created a new
account, the phony website
purported to provide early access to game tickets. It had seats advertised for
₹1,650, which was less expensive than the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) starting
₹1,700 ticket price. Their black market value is more than ₹25,000.
Following
their completion of registration, customers were led by the fake website through
an unusual payment process, requiring them to enter transaction details and make
payments to a specific UPI ID.The user would then receive a bogus
congratulations along with an order ID and a confirmation order. This fake
website promised that tickets will be emailed to the user's registered address
just 12 hours before to the match, in contrast to reputable platforms that
provide a QR-code e-ticket immediately.
Sex Tortion
In a case of sextortion, 65 a Year-old retired Army man lost Rs3.75 lakh due to
his naked videos being filmed over a phone call by frauds he had connected with
on social media.The victim, a Wagholi resident, was threatened with money by the
suspects in order to get the tapes removed.
They threatened to show his family the videos if they didn't get paid.The
retired Army personnel filed a complaint with the cyber police station of Pune
police. Following the application's verification, the Lonikand police received a
formal FIR.
Quantum of cyber economic crime:
The issue of cybercrime is widespread, and India is not an exception. India has
a high rate of cyber economic crime. The usage of the Internet has been seen to
expand quickly across Asia. Since 2002, there has been a more than tenfold
growth in the use of the Internet in China, Indonesia, and
India.
According to additional reports, there has also been a notable increase
in cybercrimes The creation of specialized software for commercial crimes on
criminal networks has greatly increased the likelihood of cybercrime, with
financial gain still the primary driver . Virtual financial crime, Cyber
economic crimes, online frauds, online cheating is nothing but cyber
economic crimes with different names. Basic modus operandi and motive of all
these crimes are to get illegal financial gains.
Cyber economic crimes have
characters of both the crimes. Indian
researcher has defined the concept as Any dishonest and fraudulent activities in
cyberspace using new multimedia technology in the era of communication
convergence for wrongful gain and to
cause wrongful loss to the victim who is prohibited by the criminal law.
Role of technology in both prepetrating and preventing such cyber crimes:
- People process technology framework
- Technological vulnerabilities
- Prevention of data breach and data thefts
People process technology framework
Individuals
The most crucial component of the framework is its people. It's ironic because,
in terms of crime and security, this is the framework's weakest link. To have a
holistic solution, the People and the Process must also be taken into account.
The user needs are represented by the people component
of the equation. These are the ultimate users and consumers of technology in the
workplace. Process
The processes refer to regulations and laws that are available for using the
technology. The criminal laws and procedural laws are also part of this stack.
The loopholes in the regulations or laws are used by the criminals to commit the
crime so that they can go un-punished.
These Loopholes are:
weaknesses in process fuels the intentions of the criminals and create hurdles for criminal justice System to trial, prevent and investigate the crimes.Technology
Interestingly the cyber technology is the basic to this conundrum. The technology plays three different roles, as tool, as target and as facilitator in the process of crime.
Cursing the technology for cybercrime will be a skewed thought process. Technology plays a pivotal role in the various
changes in the society. Information technology has now changed communication, transportation,
financial transaction and service delivery. Thus, technology has become central to the development of the human race.
Technological vulnerabilities
The technology used to conduct financial transactions or provide information
technology services as a number of security flaws. Hardware, software, and networking components
make up the technology. Therefore, a flaw in any of the three previously
mentioned is used to break application security and carry out criminal activity.
Using such a modus calls for more advanced technological
knowledge and proficiency. of the technological apparatus. Such a technique is
used in a number of crimes, including ransomware, banking Trojan programs,
ransomware breaches, and application
hacking.
Among Indian teenagers in rural areas who can't even read a paragraph of text,
over 30% can still browse the Internet and close to 50% can find a video on
YouTube, says the latest Annual Status
of Education Report (ASER) Rural. The report provides several such insights into
the digital prowess of high school and college students in India.
Analysis the cybercrimes laws in India
In India, NCRB considers the cybercrime as a new class of crime. The basic
reason for this is these are crimes are in existence due to extensive use of the
information technology for catering different
serves online. NCRB schema of categorization publishes cyber crimes in a
separate chapter and within cyber crime makes finer differentiation based on the
available legislation for the various
types of the crime. National Crime Records Bureau( 2015) collected data under
three separate heads in India.
- Cases registered under the Information Technology Act 2000.
- Cases registered under the IPC related to cyber crimes (mainly offenses facilitated by computer).
- Cases registered under Special and Local Laws (SLL), which have the component of cybercrime.
Information Technology Act, 2000:
Section 66A was inserted by an amendment in 2008. According to this provision,
sending
"Offensive Messages" is illegal. He proposed legislation against cyber terrorism, voyeurism and child pornography. Additionally, Section 69 was
put into effect, granting the government the ability to keep an eye on and
decode any data using any kind of computer. Everyone should use caution and
appropriate behavior when using the Internet.
Offence Sections Under It Act:
- Tampering with computer source documents
- Hacking with computer system, Data alteration
- Publishing obscene information
- Publishing false digital signature certificates
- Breach of confidentiality and privacy
India: The Information Technology (Digital Media Ethics Code And Intermediate
Guidelines)
Regulations, 2021: Emphasizing The 2023 Modification.
In February 2021, the Central Government published the Information Technology
(Intermediary
Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (the "2021 Rules"). The
Information Technology Act, 2000's Section 87(2) gave the Indian government the
authority to exercise its jurisdiction, which led to the creation of the 2021
Rules. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media
Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 (the "2023 Amendment") have now been
implemented, revising the 2021 regulations.
Due Diligence
Rule 3(1) of The 2021 Rules casts certain obligations on the SMIs and SSMIs with
respect to online content.
Grievance Redressal Mechanism
Rule 3(2) of the 2021 Rules provides for a grievance redressal mechanism to be
adopted by SMIs and SSMIs.
Code of Ethics for Digital Media Publishers
The 2021 Rules provide for a code of morals to be observed by distributors of
digital media, including:
- News and current undertakings, content suppliers, and
- Online curated content publisher.
Case Laws:
Shreya Singhal v. Union of India:
This landmark case challenged the constitutionality of Section 66A of the
Information Technology
Act. The Supreme Court's decision struck down the provision, stating that it
violated the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.
Tata Sons v. Cyrus Mistry:
This well-known case involved defamation claims made by both parties in online
media. The case highlighted the challenges of defamation in the corporate
context and the role of social media Platforms in spreading defamatory content.
X v union of India and others
The petitioner uploaded certain images and photos to her personal Facebook and
Instagram that were illegally taken and shared by an unidentified person going
by the name"Desi Collector" on the pornographic website "www.xhamster.com"
without the petitioner's knowledge or consent, making the petitioner's images
and photos offensive by association.
In
YouTube LLC v. Geeta Shroff, the Court holds that based on the pleadings
and/or lack of denial from Google that the offending post had been uploaded from
India, Google was required to remove
it to restore status quo ante.
In
ABC vs. DEF & Ors, the court directed to remove any other material which the
plaintiff may report as objectionable qua her i.e. photographs relating to her
or any other content relating to the plaintiff from any other account.
Case Law in International Jurisdiction
In the matter of X. V. Twitter Inc., the Hon'ble Supreme Court of New South
Wales, Australia clarified that an intermediary gives rise to a "equitable
obligation of confidence" and held that
the court may, under certain circumstances, acquire statutory jurisdiction even
over a foreign defendant.
The Hon'ble Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union in,
Google Spain SL, Google Inc. V. Agencia Española de Protections de Datos (AEPD),
Mario Costeja González ruled that the operator of a search engine is obliged to
remove from the list of results displayed following a search made based on a
person's name links to web pages, published by
third parties and containing information relating to that person, also in a case
where that name or information is not erased beforehand or simultaneously from
those web pages, and even, as the
case may be when its publication in itself on those pages is lawful.
Equustek Solutions Inc. vs. Jack, the Hon'ble Supreme Court of British Columbia
had this to say that the effect of the U.S. order is that no action can be taken
against Google to enforce the injunction in U.S. courts. That does not restrict
the ability of this Court to protect the integrity of its process through orders
directed to parties over whom it has personal jurisdiction.
Conclusion:
The human mind is infinitely powerful. Cybercriminals cannot be eliminated from
cyberspace. Testing them is a feasible option. History demonstrates that no
legislation has ever been able to completely eradicate crime from the earth.
Making is the only action that can be taken. People who are conscious of their
rights and responsibilities (reporting crimes is a communal duty to society) and
who enforce the law more strictly in order to reduce crime. France is
unquestionably a historic advance in the cyberspace. Moreover, I concede that
alterations to the Information Technology Act are imperative to enhance its
efficacy in combating cybercrime.
References:
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376056756_The_Harm_in_Hate_Speech_and_in_Holocaust_Denial/
- https://www.iasparliament.com/current-affairs/remembering-the-holocaust-hate-crime
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357839318_CYBER_CRIME_IN_INDIA
- https://wwwthehinducom.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.thehindu.com/news/national/china-pockets-of-cambodia-and-myanmar-are-epicentre-of-cybercrime-i4c-chief/article67703371.ece/amp/
- https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/jspui/bitstream/chapter1.pdf
- https://anuraagsingh.com/tech-talks/social-media-crimes-in-india/
- https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1803207.pdf
- https://www.mondaq.com/india/social-media/1354604/the-information-technology-intermediary-guidelines-and-digital-media-ethics-code-rules-2021-focusing-on-the-2023amendment
- https://blog.ipleaders.in/x-v-union-of-india-and-others-delhi-high-court-case-analysis/
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