Modern Times and Cyber Crimes

Title: - “Modern Times and Cyber crimes”

Cybercrime is a term for any illegal activity that uses a computer as its primary means of commission. All too often claims about the prevalence of cybercrimes lack clarification as to what it is that is particularly "cyber" about them. It explores the varying conceptualizations of cybercrime before identifying tensions in the production of criminological knowledge that are causing the rhetoric to be confused with reality. Perhaps more confusing is the startling contrast between the many hundreds of thousands of incidents of cybercrime supposedly reported each year and the relatively small number of known prosecutions. Cyber crime means any criminal activity in which a computer or network is the source, tool or target or place of crime i.e. hacking, phishing, piracy, pornography, spamming, e-commerce forgery, cyber terrorism etc. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines cyber crimes as crimes committed with the use of computers or relating to computers, especially through internet. Crimes involving use of information or usage of electronic means in furtherance of crime are covered under the scope of cyber crime. Cyber Crimes may be committed against persons, property and government. This new age crimes are addressed by Information Technology Act 2002. Though act does not define ‘cyber crime’ however, any activities which basically offend human sensibilities would come within its ambit. It aims to provide the legal infrastructure for e-commerce in India. This act offers much needed legal framework for the authentication and origin of electronic records.

Keywords: Cybercrime, e-commerce, cyber terrorism, IT Act 2002.