National Cyber Crime Reporting in India

Introduction

The growth of technology is giving us numerous benefits and making things easy or just a click away, but as everything is online now so the threat of cybercrimes is also increasing, and cybercrime is actually taking place so much now. India’s worrying 63.5% surge in cybercrime cases in 2019 indicates that the nation has become a prime target for these crooks.

Here we are going to discuss the overview of cybercrime including its reporting.

What is Cybercrime?

Any criminal conduct done online or via computers is referred to as cybercrime. Cybercriminals utilize methods including phishing, social engineering, and other types of malware as part of their cyberattacks, which might involve rogue individuals, organized crime groups, or state-sponsored groups. 

Laws governing Cyber Crime in India

The usage of information, software, electronic commerce, and financial activities in the digital world are all subject to stringent legal restrictions.

• The Information Technology Act of 2000 (IT Act) is the first cyber law that the Indian Parliament has adopted. The IT Act is a significant part of the overall Indian legal system since it governs how cybercrimes are investigated and prosecuted.
• IPC: Indian Penal Code, 1860- The IPC can be used by law enforcement agencies if the IT Act is insufficient to address particular cybercrimes.
• IT Rules (Information Technology Rules): The IT Rules address a number of facets of data gathering, transmission, and processing.
• Companies Act of 2013: According to the vast majority of business stakeholders, the Companies Act of 2013 is the most important legal need for effectively managing everyday operations. The SFIO (Major Fraud Investigation Office) is given authority to look into and prosecute serious frauds perpetrated by Indian firms and their directors as part of the Companies Act 2013 (Act).
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has certified the Cybersecurity Framework (NCFS) as a framework for harmonizing the cybersecurity approach, making it the most reliable worldwide certification organization. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework offers best practices, standards, and guidance for managing cyber-related risks. This framework places the highest priority on flexibility and cost.

The government created National Cybercrime Reporting Portal to make it easy for a person to report Cyber Crime.

National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal

The Government of India created the National Cyber Crime Reporting webpage as a tool to help victims and complainants submit online reports of cybercrime. This Portal accepts complaints about all types of cybercrime, including mobile crimes, online and social media crimes, online financial frauds, ransomware, hacking, cryptocurrency crimes, and online cyber trafficking. Complaints about online child pornography (CP), child sexual abuse material (CSAM), or sexually explicit content, such as rape/gang rape (CP/RGR), are also accepted here.

For reporting online child pornography (CP) or sexually explicit material like rape/gang rape (RGR) content, the site also offers the option of filing an anonymous complaint.

According to the Indian Penal Code, giving false information might subject the complaint to punishment.

Types of Cybercrime I can report at the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal

On the Portal, there are two ways to report cyber crimes:

• You can file complaints about online child pornography (CP), child sexual abuse material (CSAM), or sexually explicit content like rape/gang rape (CP/RGR) content under this area.
• Report Other Cybercrimes – Using this option, you may file complaints about many types of cybercrimes, including mobile crimes, online and social media crimes, financial scams on the internet, ransomware, hacking, crimes involving cryptocurrencies, and online cyber trafficking.

What details should a person include in a complaint report while complaining in National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal?

On the website www.cybercrime.gov.in, there are two ways to report an incident.

Reporting crimes against women, children, and other cybercrimes is also an option. There are two ways to file a complaint for reporting crimes against women or children:

• You can report offenses involving online child pornography, rape, or gang rape (CP/RGR) content in an anonymous manner. No private information is required from you. To enable the police to take the appropriate action, the complaint’s information must be precise and comprehensive.

Fields with a red asterisk (*) are required in the Report and Track option. It is crucial that correct and comprehensive details about the complaint reach the police authorities. You should thus include the essential information, such as your name, phone number, email address, the specifics of the complaint, and anything else required to substantiate the complaint.

Register yourself initially by providing a name and a working Indian mobile phone. A Time Password (OTP) will be sent to your mobile phone. Only 30 minutes are allowed for the OTP to be used. You can report the complaint after successfully registering your cell phone number on the webpage.

• You may report additional cybercrimes such as mobile crimes, online and social media crimes, online financial frauds, ransomware, hacking, cryptocurrency crimes, and online cyber trafficking using the “Report Other Cybercrimes” option on the webpage. You must register using your name and a working Indian cell phone number. A Time Password (OTP) will be sent to your mobile phone. Only 30 minutes are allowed for the OTP to be used. Once your cell number has been properly registered on the Portal, you may lodge complaints by choosing the relevant category and sub-category.

Which Place to choose while filing the complaint in National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal?

When registering a complaint under the “Report Crime relating to Women/ Child” section, be sure to choose the victims’ location, State, or UT where the crime took place when utilizing the “Report Anonymously” option. 

The complainant may choose his or her current State or UT residence if the report is about a website that hosts Child Pornography/ Rape or Gang Rape (CP/RGR) material.

Conclusion

National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal makes it easy and convenient for an individual to report cybercrime without any hindrance. This site, which allows reporting of all cybercrimes, was made available as a trial program on August 30, 2019, with an emphasis on crimes against women and children, in particular child pornography, child sex abuse material, and internet materials connected to rapes/gang rapes, etc. To know more about National Cyber Crime Reporting, get Legal consultation.