The Information Technology Act gives legal recognition to electronic records and digital signatures, and criminalises a range of cyber offences from hacking to identity theft, forming the backbone of India’s cyber law framework. It was substantially amended in 2008 to address emerging threats like cyber terrorism and data breaches.
Section 43 makes a person liable to pay compensation for unauthorised access, damage or data theft from a computer system, while Section 66 makes such acts a criminal offence attracting imprisonment up to 3 years and fine. Section 66C and 66D specifically address identity theft and cheating by personation using computer resources.
Section 67 penalises publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form, with enhanced punishment under 67A for sexually explicit content and 67B for child sexual abuse material. Section 69 grants government agencies power to intercept, monitor or decrypt information in the interest of national security, subject to procedural safeguards.
The Act also establishes Cyber Appellate Tribunals for dispute resolution and recognises electronic contracts and digital signatures as legally valid, enabling e-commerce and e-governance to function on a sound legal footing.