Monday, January 5, 2009

Amended IT Act Tightens Noose on Cyber Criminals

Publishing and transmitting obscene material and offensive, threatening messages via the electronic medium a crime

Thanks to the recently amended IT Act, things you had taken for granted like sending adult text messages and forwarding explicit e-mails could land you in a legal mess.

Just to remind you, it's not just the Internet that the IT Act covers, it also covers activities performed using your computer, PDA, mobile phone, and other devices of communication. So, things like forwarding an SMS and sending an MMS too now fall under the jurisdiction of the IT Act. So what has been touted as an offence? Publishing and transmitting obscene material or any sexually explicit act/content can put you behind bars for a long duration - 5 years, not to mention the hefty 10 lakh fine it attracts. Also included is sending offensive, threatening messages and spreading hate messages using any electronic medium; these too will attract penalties similar to those mentioned earlier. The once popular trend of forwarding MMS clips (usually fake) of celebrities, captured using hidden cameras, too comes under the wrap of the Act now.

No comments: