From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: National Human Rights Chairman Justice Arun Mishra on Thursday called for “stringent” law to penalise “unlawful internet behaviour.”He said the method of crimes has changed because “technology is the weapon of the day.”Speaking at the 25th All India Forensic Science Conference in Ahmedabad, the former Supreme Court judge said that freedom of expression on social media platforms and the cyberspace is “not larger” than what is granted under Article 19 of the constitution. “So there has to be stringent legislation dealing with this… for the benefit of humans, we should deal with misuse very sternly,” he said.He talked of exponential rise in the internet users over the past decade. “The cyberspace is being used to infringe on civil and human rights at large, including privacy of individuals. Cybersecurity is the key in fighting cyber crimes for the preservation of human rights.”The former judge added that the Ministry of Home Affairs’ portal shows that India is one of the most vulnerable countries for cyber threats detected and targeted attacks. Marginalised sections are particularly vulnerable to cybercrimes like identity theft, fraud and ransomwares, he said.Many countries have amended the law specifically designed to deal with the cybercrimes along with the advent newer types of crimes. There is need for more computerised forensic science laboratories, centres of excellence on information technology, security education and training investigating officers, lawyers and judges,” he said.
