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8.9 Indian Information Technology Act (IT Act) 2000

            The advent of the Internet has significantly changed our lives. People from all walks of life are increasingly using
            computers  to  create,  communicate,  and  store  information  in  electronic  form  rather  than  traditional  paper  and
            document  formats.  Electronically  stored  information  offers  numerous  advantages,  including  cost  savings,  ease  of
            storage and retrieval, and connection speed. Despite its many benefits, it has been abused by many people for financial
            gain or to damage someone's data or reputation. So, governments have taken precautions and enacted legislation
            governing the use of the Internet. The Indian Parliament passed the Information Technology Act 2000 to keep pace
            with information technology-related crime.  The Information Technology Act of 2000 was based on the Model Law of
            the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). It aimed at providing a legal infrastructure
            for e-commerce in India. The act also included a provision for digital signatures as a means of authenticating digital
            documents. It incorporated offences and penalties for cybercrime. The main goal of this act is to make sure that digital,
            online, and electronic transactions are legal and safe and to stop or get rid of cybercrime. There are 13 chapters and 90
            sections in the IT Act. Some of the offences and punishments that fall under the IT Act, 2000, are as follows:

                      Section                   Offence                                Penalty

                                 Tampering  with  the  computer  source  Imprisonment up to three years, or/and
                        65
                                 documents                               with a fine up to `2,00,000

                                                                         Imprisonment up to three years, or/and
                        66       Hacking with computer system
                                                                         with a fine up to `5,00,000

                                 Publishing of information which is obscene  Imprisonment up to five years, or/and
                        67
                                 in electronic form                      with a fine up to `10,00,000

                                                                         Imprisonment up to two years, or/and
                        68       Power of Controller to give directions
                                                                         with a fine up to `1,00,000

                                 Directions of Controller to a subscriber to  Imprisonment up to seven years, or/and
                        69
                                 extend facilities to decrypt information  shall be liable to fine.

                                 Securing  access  or  attempting  to  secure  Imprisonment  up  to  ten  years,  or/and
                        70
                                 access to a protected system            with fine

                                                                         Imprisonment  up  to  2  years,  or/and
                        71       Misrepresentation
                                                                         with a fine up to `1,00,000
                                                                         Imprisonment  up  to  2  years,  or/and
                        72       Breach of confidentiality and privacy
                                                                         with a fine up to `1,00,000

                                 Publishing Digital Signature Certificate false  Imprisonment  up  to  2  years,  or/and
                        73
                                 in certain particulars                  with a fine up to `1,00,000

                                                                         Imprisonment  up  to  2  years,  or/and
                        74       Publication for fraudulent purpose
                                                                         with a fine up to `1,00,000


            8.9.1 Privacy Law
            Privacy is the ability of an organisation or individual to determine what data can be shared with third parties. Privacy
            law establishes the rules that regulate the collection, storage, and disclosure of a person's or organisation's financial,
            medical, and other personal information to third parties.


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