INTRODUCTION
Information technology has permeated every aspect of human life in the twenty-first century. The introduction of this technology has instantaneously altered our methods of communication. We have gone from a paper world to a paperless one because of technological advancements, which have permeated every aspect of human existence. In today’s world, computers are used for storing sensitive information of all kinds — political, social, economic, and personal. This is for the greater good of society. With the help of the internet and networking, we are achieving unprecedented levels of speed, efficiency, and accuracy in every industry. As a result, we are also encouraging innovation, creativity, and productivity.
What we now term “Cyberspace” or the “Virtual World” was born out of the convergence of computer networks, the internet, and networking technologies, which are all parts of information technology. How many things people have done in cyberspace via the internet. People utilise it for a variety of purposes, including socialising, advertising, banking, education, research, and entertainment, and it quickly becomes the hub of online activity. The development of information technology has had an impact on nearly every facet of human life. The usage of computers is rapidly expanding, with thousands of new users joining the internet every day.
Internet and computer technology’s meteoric rise around the world has brought countless benefits to people, but it has also become a haven for illegal activity. It is being used more and more for international crimes like pornography, gambling, drug and human organ trafficking, hacking, copyright infringement, terrorism, privacy invasion, fraud, software piracy, business espionage, money laundering, etc[1].
Cybercrime is a very recent offshoot of traditional criminality. When someone do illegal things on purpose or with knowledge while using a computer, the term “cybercrime” applies. The term “cybercrime” refers to a wide range of illicit online actions, including those involving computers. The terms “cyber” and “crime” come together to form this phrase. “Cyber” means “virtual world” in the first sense. Data processing through computers, global communication through the internet, and informational space are all components of this system. Crime, on the other hand, is a social, economic, and political phenomenon that has been there for as long as humans have. Any wrongdoing that is punishable by law is considered a crime. As per the Lord Atkin “the Criminal quality of an act cannot be discovered by reference to any standard but one; is the act prohibited with penal consequences.”
Thus the Definition of cybercrime is unlawful act where computer is either tool or target or both. Dr. Debarati Halder and Dr. K. Jaishankar define cybercrimes as: “Offences that are committed against individuals or groups of individuals with a criminal motive to intentionally harm the reputation of the victim or cause physical or mental harm, or loss, to the victim directly or indirectly, using modern telecommunication networks such as Internet (Chat rooms, emails, notice boards and groups) and mobile phones (SMS/MMS)”
The most recent and, arguably, the most complex issue in the realm of cyberspace is cybercrime. “Cybercrime may be said to be those species, of which, genus is the conventional crime, and where either the computer is an object or subject of the conduct constituting crime”. As defined by Pawan Duggal leading Supreme Court lawyer in the world “Any criminal activity that uses a computer either as an instrumentality, target or a means for perpetuating further crimes comes within the ambit of cybercrime”[2]
“Computer crime or cybercrime can broadly be defined as criminal activity involving an information technology infrastructure, including illegal access (unauthorized access), illegal interception (by technical means of nonpublic transmissions of computer data to, from or within a computer system), data interference (unauthorized damaging, deletion, deterioration, alteration or suppression of computer data), systems interference (interfering with the functioning of a computer system by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering or suppressing computer data), misuse of devices, forgery (ID theft), and electronic fraud.”
“Cybercrime is a term for any illegal activity that uses a computer as its primary means of commission. The U.S. Department of Justice expands the definition of cybercrime to include any illegal activity that uses a computer for the storage of evidence. The growing list of cybercrimes includes crimes that have been made possible by computers, such as network intrusions and the dissemination of computer viruses, as well as computer-based variations of existing crimes, such as identity theft, stalking, bullying and terrorism.”
Because physical borders are meaningless in cyberspace, it is imperative that we rely on international organisations to establish a universally accepted definition of cybercrime. Cybercrime is on the rise globally and is not a problem that just affects some states. During a workshop focused on computer network crimes at the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders, the following two types of cybercrime were defined:
- Cybercrime in a narrow sense (computer crime): Threats to the integrity of computer networks and the data stored in them that are perpetrated through unlawful electronic operations.
- Cybercrime in a broader sense (computer-related crime): Inappropriate use of, or interference with, a computer system or network; this includes, but is not limited to, offences involving the unlawful acquisition, sale, or distribution of data.
Of course, these definitions are complicated by the fact that an act may be illegal in one nation but not in another.
There are more concrete examples, including
- Unauthorized access
- Damage to computer data or programs
- Computer sabotage
- Unauthorized interception of communications
- Computer espionage
[1]Peters, Allison, and Amy Jordan. Countering the Cyber Enforcement Gap: Strengthening Global Capacity on Cybercrime. Third Way, 2019. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep20150. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
[2]Glenny, Misha. “ORGANIZED CRIME IN A NETWORK SOCIETY.” Journal of International Affairs, vol. 66, no. 1, 2012, pp. 145–49. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24388256. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.