Indian Police can now track your E-mails

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The police can now read your e-mails without prior permission from the home department.
The Parliament recently cleared an amendment to the Information Technology (IT) Act, allowing the police to intercept or decrypt online information without seeking the home department’s nod.

Rising instances of cyber crime have prompted the move aimed at cutting red tape.

The amendment empowers the inspector general of police to permit interception or decoding information in cyber space in an emergency.

This will help speedy detection of cyber crimes like phishing or sending offensive messages and in tracking terrorists who operate using the Internet.

Advocate I.P. Bagaria said the amendment was necessary.
“Every citizen has a right to privacy. However, this cannot be at the cost of the state or country,” he said.

The secretary in-charge of the state home department should be informed about the interception within three days of tracking.

The secretary the final sanctioning authority has to grant permission within seven days.

Once the sanction has been obtained, it has to be placed before the Review Committee within two months.

Senior advocate Amit Desai said this period should be reduced. “Otherwise there are chances of misuse of these powers.”

The police had to earlier take permission from the additional chief secretary, home or, in an emergency, the joint secretary.

“Liberalisation of interception is required when the world is dealing with terrorism,” said senior police officer-turned lawyer Y.P. Singh.

The amendment has increased the minimum punishment under the Act to three years and made the offense non-bailable.

Cyber expert Vijay Mukhi said there should be a mechanism to check misuse.

source:www.techchase.in

High-tech war on cybercrime

CYBER POLICE

Police from the cybercrime unit will be equipped with the latest high-tech gadgets to effectively combat online offences. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said this was necessary, especially in the wake of recent postings on social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube.

He said combating cybercrime would be a priority as police realised that the force had to adapt to an era where information travelled at rapid speed and was circulated locally as well as globally. “We will come up with a new mechanism and procedures to deal with cases involving the Internet, especially on Facebook,” he told reporters after his inaugural visit to the Johor police headquarters here yesterday.

“We are especially concerned with news or information on the Internet that can disrupt racial relations and the country’s harmony.”He was responding to a video on YouTube where a preacher in Kuching, Sarawak, allegedly insulted Islam.

Ismail said the police would cooperate with other agencies such as the MCMC to get to the bottom of the matter.

On Tuesday, pro tem president of the Muslim Bloggers Association Zainol Abideen drew attention to the video clip of a “priest” delivering a talk at a church in Kuching and allegedly insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad.

“If there is an element where the police can act, then we will take action against the culprit,” Ismail said.

“The matter could be investigated under the Sedition Act.” Every­­­one needed to be mindful of the impact their statements could have, he added.

On another matter, Ismail said the police would act on unsolved cases if full cooperation was given by the complainant or victims of crimes. “We will act on old cases if new evidence or leads are discovered,” he said.

“We urge the public who want the police to act on old cases to come forward and give us their full cooperation.”

He also wanted people to go straight to the police if they had any grievances and not highlight the matter in the media.
Source: www.internetslife.com