Thread by @SFLCin

#Thread
Recently, many #Muslim women on social media were targeted by the misogynist #BulliBaiApp that auctioned their pictures online. Incidents like these are the reason women feel unsafe on the internet. Here’s what you should know about reporting such online harassment- (1)

According to the National Crime Records Bureau @NCRBHQ , there was an 11.8% increase in reported cyber crimes in India between 2019 and 2020. A total of 50,035 cyber crime cases were registered in 2020 alone.
Source: ncrb.gov.in/en/Crime-in-In… (2)

The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 has certain provisions to deal with prevailing cybercrimes.
This list is not exhaustive.
Section 67B of the Act specifically provides stringent punishment for publishing, browsing or transmitting child pornography in electronic form. (3)

Section 79 of the IT Act and The IT Rules 2011 require that the intermediaries (social media platforms and websites) shall observe due diligence while discharging their duties and shall inform the users of computer resources to act accordingly. (4)

Sections 354A and 354D of Indian Penal Code provide punishment for cyber bullying and cyber stalking against women. An extension of physical stalking, cyber stalking is a crime where the stalkers use the internet or any other electronic device to stalk someone. (5)

Cyber-crime broadly comprises of: cyber defamation, cyber bullying, fraud, cyber theft, hacking, cyber terrorism, phishing, cyber sexual harassment, pornography, etc. (6)

What constitutes cyber stalking? (7)

How to report?
In India one can report cyber crimes either by filing a report physically or by filing a virtual complaint. (8)

Physically reporting cyber crimes: (9)

Cyber crime complaints can also be filed online through the National Cyber Crime Portal introduced by the ministry of Home Affairs.
The portal is available at cybercrime.gov.in (10)

Victims of cyber fraud can also call the helpline number 155260, which is manned and operated by the state police concerned, currently working in seven states and Union territories Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh). (11)

Procedure to report cyber crimes virtually:
Complaints can be filed under two categories of crimes -
1) Women/child crime (complaints in this category cannot be withdrawn)
2) Other crimes. (12)

Women/ child crime related complaints can be filed either anonymously or by registering on the website. For other crimes, it is mandatory to register before filing a report. (13)

In order to register on the website, one must provide a phone number, authenticated by an otp. Email address is mandatory and can be used instead of a User-Id. (14)

You can reach out to @SFLCin if you face any difficulties lodging the complaint. (15)

If you are a woman or a person belonging to a minority community at the receiving end of #onlineharassment, we stand with you in your time of need. Reach out to us if you have been a victim of cyber crime or faced online abuse. Write to us at [e-mail] or send us a DM. (16)