Cyber laws – what should you know about them?

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With almost everything online, adhering to cyber laws is important since it helps safeguard your and other people’s online presence. However, hackers exploit vulnerabilities and carry out cyberattacks that damage the online property of individuals and organizations.

Therefore, having cyber laws is crucial so that order can be maintained and those responsible for data breaches of any kind should be punished. Therefore, you need to know more about what kind of cyber laws exist, how they affect the online world, and how can you benefit from them.

Thankfully, we’re here to illuminate cyber laws and give insights into some important aspects related to them. So, let’s get started:

What are Cyber Laws?

In simple terms, these are internet laws that regulate the digital distribution of information. These cover industries including e-commerce, software, information security, etc. In addition, these rules apply to a number of processes including information sharing, internet usage, freedom of speech, privacy, etc.

Even internet providers have to adhere to these regulations due to security parameters. In case of any kind of breach at your end, you have to contact your provider to notify them. However, ISPs have to follow several protocols such as prevention from widespread cyberattacks, ensuring software and hardware security of their infrastructure, taking actions for effective defense against cyberattacks, etc.

We can quote a number of ISPs that are reliable in the matter of offering robust security measures in the US such as Xfinity. You can rely on Xfinity customer service for its high-end security practices and rest assured of having a secure internet connection.

Categories of Cybercrime

With the understanding of cyber laws, it’s important to understand what cybercrimes are and their types. In simple words, any online activity going against the prescribed cyber laws is regarded as cybercrime. Within the context, here are the categories of cybercrime:

Crimes against People

Online activities including cyber harassment, distribution of child pornography, spoofing, identity theft, etc. are regarded as cybercrime against the people. Falling in any of these or related categories will result in legal action against the accused. This can further be categorized into the following:

Copyright & Patents

Copyright protection is one of the primary pillars of cyber laws. It protects individual rights over products, information, etc. present on the internet in any form. Copyright infringement is a serious crime and can land a person a heavy penalty if proven guilty.

In addition, patents are proof that someone owns an invention. Having patents in your name is a huge achievement and infringing a patent can actually initiate legal action against the accused.

Trade Secrets

Trade secrets are devices or methods a company uses to manufacture anything. In the online world, a company can use trade secrets to protect its IP addresses, infringing them can result in legal activity.

Domain Disputes

In simple words, if a domain dispute is opened, it’s to determine who owns the said web address. These mostly open because a person using it may not be the owner and the real owner can benefit from it if the site becomes a popular domain in the future.

Contracts

Most people don’t know but when you’re clicking on a checkbox that says ‘I Agree’ that means you’re entering into a contract. Anything occurring later cannot be challenged if it abides by the conditions mentioned in the contract.

Privacy

From individuals to businesses, privacy laws are established to protect their online information. That is why it’s one of the main focused laws since privacy violation occurs in almost any case of a cyberattack.

Defamation

Previously, defamation did not apply to the online world. However, with the rise in the use of the internet, allowing people to easily share information, cases of cyberbullying and defamation have widely increased. This has led to defamation protection as one of the primary cyber laws.

Employment

Employee/ employer contracts are also linked to cyber laws now. From data breach to privacy exploitation, any condition can occur which can require electronic and physical records from the parties involved.

Crimes against Property

Cybercrimes can also occur against properties including server attacks, hacking, malware attack, copyright infringement, IPR violations, and other forms. Any activity that comes under these or related terms will result in legal action.

Crimes against Government

Cybercrimes against government properties and channels including but not limited to hacking into government databases, stealing/ leaking/ selling confidential information, cyberwarfare, cyberterrorism, etc. are punishable offenses and will lead to strict legal activity against the accused.

Registered Cybercrimes

Since we’ve discussed the categories of cybercrimes, it’s time to check out some of the laws that are applicable in this domain:

  • “Sec. 65, Tampering with Computer Source Documents”
  • “Sec. 67, Publishing Obscene Information”
  • “Sec. 66, Hacking Computer Systems and Data Alteration”
  • “Sec. 70, Unauthorized Access of Protected Systems”
  • “Sec. 72, Breach of Confidentiality and Privacy”
  • “Sec. 73, Publishing False Digital Signature Certificates”
  • “Sending Threatening Messages by Email, Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sec. 503”
  • “Bogus Websites & Cyber Fraud, Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sec. 420”
  • “Online Sale of Arms Under Arms Act, 1959”
  • “Online Sale of Drugs Under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985”

These are only some of the many cybercrime regulations that help maintain the integrity and safety of the online world.

Closing Thoughts

Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg but it’s enough to show the span of cyber laws on the online world. Adhering to these laws is important to protect your online presence as well as avoid any legal activity occurring against you.

https://www.upcounsel.com/cyber-law

https://www.knowledgehut.com/blog/security/cyber-security-laws

https://www.eccu.edu/blog/cybersecurity/the-role-of-cyber-laws-in-cybersecurity/

https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Cybercrime_Prevention_ISP_Principles.pdf

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