Social media has transformed information exchange, global communication, and human engagement everywhere. Daily life increasingly revolves on platforms like Facebook, Twitter (now X), and Instagram, which provide forums for business growth, community building, and personal expression.
Still, in addition to these benefits, social media has become a rich habitat for hackers. These platforms are great targets for attacks because of their great volume of personal data, accessibility, and anonymity as well as The large user base offers great chances for exploitation; as these platforms expand, so do the methods hackers use to carry out phishing, identity theft, and malware distribution.
Defamation Law: India
Mostly controlled by civil and criminal legislation, defamation law in India aims to defend a person’s reputation from untrue remarks damaging their character or status in the society. With separate legal laws for each, defamation in India can be both a civil wrong (tort) and a criminal offence. Cyber vandalism, a type of internet sabotage, likewise damages reputations by means of false information or digital attacks. Cyber defamation law in India is broken out here:
Online defamation:
Online defamation has grown more common as social media and other platforms have emerged.
Online platforms may have their own terms and regulations controlling defamatory content; the Information Technology Act, 2000 has clauses addressing some forms of online defamation, including electronic messaging sent defamatively.
Notably, legal challenges on grounds of freedom of speech and expression have centred on defamation laws in India, which have been hotly contested. Sometimes the Supreme Court of India has urged a review of these rules to strike a compromise between the right to freedom of speech and the right to reputation.
Cases involving defamation in India can be complicated, hence people should speak with legal professionals to learn their rights and choices should they feel they have been defamed or accused of defamation.
Indian Law Regarding Online Harassment
1. There is the Information Technology Act of 2000
This legislation defines the boundaries within which online material available in India may be controlled. This statute enables victims of cyberbullying to notify legal authorities about the incidence.
2. The Indian Penal Code
The Indian Penal Code’s Section 503 addresses criminal intimidation; Section 504 addresses deliberate insult intending to provoke disturbance of the peace; and Section 509 deals with words, gestures, or acts meant to outrage a woman’s modesty. The clauses of the Indian Penal Code on harassment and intimidation address these as well as others.
3. The POSCO Act, 2012
This law guards children from sexual abuse and exploitation, including situations of internet child sexual abuse. Under the law, people guilty of child pornography or internet exploitation of minors will face severe fines.
4. The Criminal Law Act, 2013
Legislators approved the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act in 2013 to make sexual harassment and assault significantly more penalized. Under this rule, anyone found pestering or attacking another individual by electronic means—such as the internet—will be punished.
Summary
Considering how common online harassment is growing in India, victims should be informed of their rights and the legal choices open to them. Should you have been the object of online abuse in India, you have three choices: report the website, visit the police, and file a lawsuit in court with the help of expert advocate Sumathi Lokesh.
