The government recently came up with the IT Amendment Bill, 2008, which was passed by both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha without even a discussion or debate. It is only after the protest by Praveen Dalal that the government decided to review it.CYBER SECURITY is a big challenge for India. The government of India is not only unaware about the basics of cyber security but is also adamant about not bringing suitable changes. Whatever positive development that has taken place in India pertaining to cyber law, cyber security and cyber forensics can be attributed primarily to Praveen Dalal, Managing Partner of Perry4Law.
The government recently came up with the proposed IT Amendment Bill, 2008, which was passed by both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha without even a discussion or debate. It is only after the strong protest by Perry4Law and Praveen Dalal that the government is now considering to review its decision before finally coming out with the amended the Information Technology Act, 2000. Let us hope the government would seek the expert advice and suggestions of cyber law experts like Dalal before finally coming out with the Act.
An interesting development that has taken place after the proposed IT Amendment Bill, 2008 is that ASSOCHAM and some others cyber law observers have endorsed and accepted the views and stand of Perry4Law and Dalal. They are also insisting upon including provisions for a strong cyber law and effective cyber security in the ultimate IT Act, 2000.
The Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have acted not only hastily but also irresponsibly while passing the IT Act Amendment Bill, 2008. Surprisingly, till now the amended bill has not been made public by the government of India. It seems the government is not serious about bringing suitable changes in the IT Act, 2000 either due to absence of expertise or due to political reasons. Whatever the reasons may be but the government has no choice but to bell the cat now.
India must appreciate that for a safe and secure cyberspace, we need a good legal framework. The present IT Act, 2000 is a piece make legislation that is weak on the fronts of cyber law, cyber security, cyber forensics, etc. In the absence of a sound legal framework for the ICT systems in India, other e-governance projects of government are also in poor state. As each component of e-governance is related to some other one, a deficiency in the basic legal and technological framework would bring sad results for India. It is high time for India to do some good work in the fields of cyber law, cyber security and cyber forensics.