BackKapil Sibal calls for global agreement on cybercrime
Minister says the Internet is a complex medium and there are no clear answers to challenges posed by it
Premium(Ramesh Pathania/Mint)
Gurgaon: Communications and information technology minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday called for a global agreement on what constitutes cybercrime.
The Internet is a complex medium and there are no clear answers to challenges posed by it, Sibal said at the World Economic Forum.
“Illegality must be defined," the minister said in a session titled India’s paradox: Thriving press, Stifling Internet?
Sibal repeated his oft-stated stance that the government’s intent is not to control the press or the Internet. He said the government is open to having a dialogue on some of the aspects of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, now known as the IT Act, 2008, which are being construed as a means to censor the Internet and control freedom of speech and expression.
The minister said he was considering a round-table discussion with stakeholders in the debate. “If we find anything non-constitutional, we will deal with it." he said.
Puducherry-based businessman Ravi Srinivasan was recently arrested for posting tweets against Karti Chidambaram, son of finance minister P. Chidambaram, under section 66A of the IT Act. Srinivasan was arrested for making accusations of corruption and later released on bail, according to media reports.
Talking about the Srinivasan issue, Madhu Trehan, content director of news website Newslaundry.com, said that this isn’t how “a government, which is not trying to control the press", acts.
Sibal said such issues could be cropping up not just because there is a problem with the law, but perhaps the way in which the rules are implemented. “We need cyber justice, real-time justice and need the police to understand the issues better," he said.
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