CHENNAI: Some of the proposed amendments to the Information Technology Act will give women facing abuse on the Internet a raw deal, say representatives of the Cyber Society of India (CSI), a city-based organisation. The Central Government-constituted Cyber Regulatory Advisory Committee recently suggested that the jail term for those found guilty under Section 67 of the I.T. Act, dealing with obscenity in electronic form, be reduced from five years to two.

With respect to Section 72, dealing with the breach of privacy of an individual, the Committee suggested : "Whoever intentionally captures or broadcasts an image of a private area of an individual without his consent, and knowingly does so under circumstances violating the privacy of that individual, shall be liable to pay compensation not exceeding Rs. 25 lakhs to the person so affected, and shall also be liable for imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or with fine not exceeding Rs. 2 lakhs, or with both on the complaint of the person so affected."

Women who are harassed by obscene messages posted on web portals can file a complaint only through a written statement in front of a magistrate.

CSI representatives, who spoke to reporters on Tuesday, said the amendments were "anti-women." R. Ramamurthy, executive chairman of the CSI, said the earlier provision where women could file complaints with the police was easier. "Women will find it easier to approach the cyber crime cell of [the] police where a certain degree of anonymity is possible. It is a difficult task to file a complaint with the Magistrate in cases relating to sexual harassment because of the fear that their complaint will become public knowledge," he added.

"Vague definition"

N. Vijayashankar, cyber law expert, said the Act was vague in its definition of "obscenity" and discounted cases where the photo may not be obscene but the context in which it was used would make it so.

"There have been instances when a woman's normal passport photograph has been used with a malicious intent on the Internet," he said.

Chennai's cyber crime cell has pursued a case involving a youth who posted a photograph of a woman on an online group message board, giving her phone number with a message that she was open to soliciting.

The CSI has forwarded its objections to the Cyber Regulatory Advisory Committee, which will meet shortly in New Delhi to put forward its final proposals to the Government.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail