What is Cybercrime?
When Internet was developed, the founding fathers of Internet hardly had any inclination that Internet could also be misused for criminal activities. Today, there are many disturbing things happening in cyberspace. Cybercrime refers to all the activities done with criminal intent in cyberspace. These could be either the criminal activities in the conventional sense or could be activities, newly evolved with the growth of the new medium. Because of the anonymous nature of the Internet, it is possible to engage into a variety of criminal activities with impunity and people with intelligence, have been grossly misusing this aspect of the Internet to perpetuate criminal activities in cyberspace. The field of Cybercrime is just emerging and new forms of criminal activities in cyberspace are coming to the forefront with the passing of each new day.
Cybercrimes are generally defined as any type of illegal activity that makes use of the Internet, a private or public network, or an in-house computer system. While many forms of cybercrime revolve around the appropriation of proprietary information for unauthorized use, other examples are focused more on an invasion of privacy. As a growing problem around the world, many countries are beginning to implement laws and other regulatory mechanisms in an attempt to minimize the incidence of cybercrime. Sometimes referred to as electronic crime, one of the most prolific examples involves utilizing a computer connection and specially developed software in order to steal identities, credit card numbers, or other data that the criminal can use to his or her advantage. Using illegally obtained data, the criminal can open accounts, charge a wide range of goods and services, and then abandon the accounts. This leaves the victim in the position of having to deal with huge debts that he or she did
The internet in India is growing rapidly. It has given rise to new opportunities in every field we can think of – be it entertainment, business, sports or education. There are two sides to a coin. Internet also has its own disadvantages. One of the major disadvantages is Cybercrime – illegal activitiy committed on the internet. The internet, along with its advantages, has also exposed us to security risks that come with connecting to a large network. Computers today are being misused for illegal activities like e-mail espionage, credit card fraud, spams, software piracy and so on, which invade our privacy and offend our senses. Criminal activities in the cyberspace are on the rise. Here we publish an article by Nandini Ramprasad in series for the benefit of our netizens. –Ed. “The modern thief can steal more with a computer than with a gun. Tomorrow’s terrorist may be able to do more damage with a keyboard than with a bomb”. – National Research Council, “Computers at Risk”, 1991. What
There has never been a set in stone definition of cybercrime. The easiest way to describe cybercrime that it is any illegal activity done through the internet or on the computer. Cybercrime can take numerous profiles and can take place nearly anywhere or anytime just like conventional crime. Criminals committing cybercrime employ numerous techniques, depending on their knowledge and their target.
There is no definite definition to cybercrime. The penal code of Bhutan does not even use the term cybercrime anywhere in section 31 on computer offences but it does list some cyber related issues as penal offences. Corrupting computer materials and destroying computer datas of another person, gaining access to a computer file or network without authorisation, planting virus in a computer, publishing and distributing an obscene photograph or picture on the computer or over the internet were some of the computer offences under the penal code. Bhutantimes.com site blocked The bhutantimes.com site (not related to Bhutantimes newspaper) which was popular for several reasons among most Bhutanese internet users has been blocked recently. One of the reasons for its popularity was that the private website provided quick links to almost all news related to Bhutan and contained a militancy watch. The website also had a forum for discussion where anybody could write just about anything. Frequent
