"More of life is going online, so more crime is, but people don't know where the crime is or

how to avoid it, When you go through a high-crime neighbourhood, you might be aware of
that. But in cyberspace, you can't tell that you are walking through a high-crime area. You
don't know when you are vulnerable" Kerr says.

“Threat is a mirror of security gaps. Cyber-threat is mainly the reflection of our weaknesses.
An accurate vision of digital and behavioural gaps is crucial for a consistent cyber-
resilience.”

― Stephane Nappo

With the development of computer industry and internet networks during the last three
decades’ things have changed and global communication has reached an unprecedented
height. With these developments, immense scopes have come to the surface to impart
learning in a much more efficient and interactive way. There is no doubt that Information
Technology (Hereinafter referred ‘IT’) has tremendously changed everyday life. New
technologies such as computers, Internet, wireless devices, social networks, have become part
of most people’s lives regardless of age or gender and the advent of Information technology
has proved to be of great significance for government agencies, corporations and society in
general. With electronic technology and machines being produced and improved all the time,
it was very likely that along with the positive aspects of these new advancements, people
would also consider the negative aspects and look to criticise new technology.

Current era is too fast to utilize the time factor to improve the performance factor. It is only
possible due the use of Internet. The term Internet can be defined as the collection of millions
of computers that provide a network of electronic connections between the computers. As we
know it’s applications in our lives is extremely wide ranging from simple addition,
subtraction to flying an aircraft though autopilot and controlling a spaceship which has
landed in Mars from the ground of the earth. Electronic databases now can store huge volume
of data which can be used very easily and internet can be accessed for any information on any
field of activities. Everyone appreciates the use of Internet but there is another side of the
coin that is cybercrime by the use of Internet. With the evolution of the Internet, along came
another revolution of crime where the perpetrators commit acts of crime and wrongdoing on
the World Wide Web and this came to be called as cyber crime. Internet crime takes many
faces and is committed in diverse fashions. The number of users and their diversity in their
makeup has exposed the Internet to everyone. Some criminals in the Internet have grown up
understanding this superhighway of information, unlike the older generation of users. This is
why Internet crime has now become a growing problem all over the world. The Internet space
or cyber space is growing very fast and as the cybercrimes

Women have been victims of various types of harassment for many centauries till now. The
condition of violence against women is becoming grimmer day by day with its changing
forms. Now violence has taken new form against women, as it is changing because of
technology which is called cybercrime that is the focus of this paper. Incidences of online
violation against women in India are quite high and these are believed to be on the increase.
Cybercrime is a new form of violence against women which is facilitated by internet and
information technology. 75% victims are believed to be female but these figures are more on
assumed basis. The actual figures can really never be known because most crimes of such
types go unreported having no a direct physical threat and are not much clear or implemented
properly. This is why cybercrimes against women are on the rise.

However, cybercrime against women in India needs to be studied in detail and it is the
demand of the hour tightening the reins of cyber harassers. This paper mainly focuses on
violence against women through cyber space and internet by illustrating some examples of
cyber victims. It outlines the condition of Indian women in Cyberspace Side by side, it will
ascertain the factors leading to cyber victimization against women. Although, it is very
difficult to stop cyber crimeas a whole, the paper suggests some solutions to curb the
cybercrime against women.

Cyber Crime

The expression "cybercrime" has not characterized in any Statute or Act (National Crime
Records Bureau Ministry of Home Affairs,2015). Cybercrime is a broad term encompassing
acts committed or facilitated by the use of computer technology. As regards exact definition
of cybercrime, it has not been statutorily defined in any statute or law as yet. Even the IT Act,
2000 does not contain the definition of cybercrime. However, it may precisely said to be
those species of crime in which computer is either an object or a subject of conducting
constituting the crime or it may be even both. Cybercrime can be defined as online behaviour
that constitutes or leads to assault against the well-being (physical, psychological, emotional)
of an individual or group. What distinguishes cyber crime from traditional off-line forms of
crime is that in the former case, some significant portion of the behaviour takes place online,
although it might then carry over into offline contexts. Cyber crime thus may, but need not,
have a physical component, and much of the harm caused by cyber violence—as indeed by
offline violence—is psychological and/or emotional (which is not to say less real or
destructive). Finally, cyber violence may be targeted at individuals or groups, the latter being
more characteristic targets of cyber violence than of offline, physical violence, due to the ease
with which a single perpetrator can gather information about and make contact with large
numbers of people on the Internet. This is another aspect of online violence that can cause it
to have widespread effects.

It is very important to note the various categories of cybercrime and to place specific offenses
into those categories. Cybercrimes can be easily placed into two categories; Violent and Non-
violent cybercrimes. Most of the cybercrimes are non-violent offenses, because of the fact
that interaction is without any physical contact. Various forms of cybercrimes which are
prevalent are cyberstalking, cyber pornography, cyber terrorism, morphing, email spoofing,
phishing, trolling, cyber bullying, identity theft, piracy, cyber trespass, cyber fraud etc.

The latest NCRB publication of 2017 indicates an increasing incidence of cybercrimes in

India. Cybercrime went up by 6.3 per cent in 2016 (12,317) over 2015 (11,592).

Uttar Pradesh (2,639cases, 21.4 per cent) reported the most cases, followed by Maharashtra
with 19.3 per cent (2,380 cases) and Karnataka with 8.9 per cent (1,101 cases).

During 2016, 48.6% cybercrimes reported were for illegal gain (5,987 out of 12,317 cases)
followed by revenge with 8.6%(1,056 cases) and insult to modesty of women with 5.6% (686
cases).

The aforesaid statics indicate an upsurge in rate of cybercrimes over the years, however the
percentage variation 2015-16 is lower than percentage variation in 2014-15.

The main focus of this paper is to deal with the cybercrimes primarily committed against
women.

Info.ils.indiana.edu

Vishwanath Paranjape, Legal dimensions of cybercrimes and preventive laws, Pg no.7, Central law
Agency, Allahabad, edn,.1st ,2010
Cyber crime as a form of gender based violence

“Time is now here to exculpate that our women are safe in cyber world, the memento alarms
to stop tomfoolery activities on internet access as it is an offence and women take umbrage
from it.” Every second, one woman in India gets tricked to be a victim of cybercrimes and
the online platform is now the new platform where a woman’s dignity, privacy and security is
increasingly being challenged every moment. Trolling, abusing, threatening, stalking,
voyeurism, body-shaming, defaming, surveillance, revenge porn and other forms of indecent
representation of women are rampant in the cyber world. In cybercrimes against women, the
effect is more mental than physical while the focus of the laws ensuring women’s security is
more on physical than mental harm. It is true that the National Crime Records Bureau
(NCRB) of India does not maintain any separate record of cyber-crimes against women.
Technology is the resource used by some perpetrators who target to defame women by
sending obscene WhatsApp messages, e-mail, stalking women by using chat rooms, websites,
and worst of all by developing pornographic videos, mostly created without their consent,
spoofing e-mails, morphing of images for pornographic content by using various software’s
available online. Indian women are not able to report cybercrimes immediately as they are
not really aware as to where to report such crimes or are not serious about reporting the same
due to social embarrassment they don’t want to face. Their mindset needs to broaden and they
must be the whip to curb down by taking derring-do against such perpetrators, that is to go
ahead and lodge an immediate complaint. Most of the problems can be solved if women
report the crime immediately and warn the abuser about taking strong legal action.

https://www.livelaw.in/cyber-crimes-against-women-and-laws-in-india/

Women Specific Cybercrimes

Some of the prevalent cybercrimes endangering the safety of women:

Cyber stalking- This is one of the most popular about internet crime in the modern world
Cyber stalking can be defined as the repeated acts harassment or threatening behaviour of the
cybercriminal towards the victim by using the internet services. The University of Virginia
defines stalking as behaviour wherein an individual wilfully and repeatedly engages in a
knowing course of harassing conduct directed at another person which reasonably and
seriously alarms, torments, or terrorizes that person. Stalking in the internet happens when the
perpetrator follows the victim continuously by leaving unwanted messages. The motivation
of stalkers may be considered less than four reasons, (i) sexual harassment, (ii) obsession for
love, (iii) revenge and hate, (iv) ego and power trips. The stalker disturbs their targets through
private emails as well as public message. Most of the cases are reported where the target of
cyber stalking are women especially of the age group of 16 to 35.

Cyber defamation- Cyber defamation occurs when with the help of computers and internet
someone publishes derogatory or defamatory information to all of that person’s friends or the
perpetrator post defaming stories about the victim. Although this can happen to both genders,
but women are more vulnerable. Unfortunately, cyber defamation is not defined by the IT Act
2000 and it is treated by the criminal justice system under the same provisions of cyber
pornography or publication of obscene materials in the internet (Section 67 of the IT Act
2000. The offence is well explained in the IPC under Section 500 which mentions
punishment with simple imprisonment which may extend to two years or with fine or with
both; and under Section 501 which states that “whoever prints or engraves any matter,
knowing or having good reason to believe that such matter is defamatory of any person, shall
be punished as per Section 500”.

Cyber Pornography – Cyber-pornography is another threat to women because this includes

publishing pornographic materials in pornographic websites by using computers and internet
wherein women will not be aware of such immoral publication of their own very image.
Cyber Pornography is considered an exceptional case which has been covered by the IT Act
2000 to a certain extent by Section 67 of the IT Act 2000. Along with IT Act the perpetrator
can be punished under various Sections of IPC (Section 290 for committing public nuisance,
section 292 for sale of obscene books etc., and section 292A for printing or publishing
grossly indecent or scurrilous matter or matter intended to blackmail, section 293 for sale etc
of obscene objects to young persons and then section 294 for doing or composing, writing etc
of obscene songs and finally under section 509 for outraging the modesty of women).

Morphing- When unauthorized user with fake identity downloads victim’s pictures and then
uploads or reloads them after editing is known as morphing.

Cyber bullying- Cyber bullying means the use of electronic communication to bully a
person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.10 The main
aim and objective behind such crime may be to defame the target out of anger, hatred or
frustration or secondly when the perpetrator wants to make simple fun of his friends,
classmates, juniors or unknown net friends.

Phishing- Phishing is the attempt to gain sensitive information such as user and password an
intent to gain personal information.

Trolling- Trolls spread conflict on the internet, criminal start quralleling or upsetting victim
by posting inflammatory or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a news
group, forum, chatroom, or blog with the intention to provoke victims into an emotional ,
upsetting response ).Trolls are professional abusers who, by creating and using fake id’s on
social media create a cold war atmosphere in the cyber space and not even easy to trace.

Trolling causes mental harm and disturbs their mental health of the women.

the advent of the social media over the years has also been used as a tool by many to seek
out revenge against women. There have been at least 749 cases of this nature which have
been reported across the country.