Cyber Crime Bill useless sans public awareness | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Cyber Crime Bill useless sans public awareness

Pakistan Press Foundation

LAHORE: Even though the National Assembly has passed the Cyber Crime Bill, the Federal Investigation Agency is expecting low about the outcome of the new law without public understanding.
“It is very good that the bill has been passed by National Assembly and courts will have now comprehensive laws on cyber crimes,” said an officer at FIA’s Cyber Crime Circle in Lahore.
There were many crimes unattended in the eyes of law but now after the passage of bill every crime has been identified, the officer told The Nation yesterday.

“Now the courts will have a refined form of law whereas earlier all cyber crimes were being treated under sections 36 and 37 of Electronics Transaction Ordinance (ETO),” the officer said.
He added that due to social norms of our society, most of the female victims of cyber crime hesitate from pursuing their cases in courts due to which conviction rate of such cases remains low.
“People are not aware about the laws so government should make the cyber laws part of the syllabus of the education from at least class 8th,” said the FIA officer who was of the view that awareness campaign should be run in electronic and print media.

The punishment recommended in Cyber Crime Bill includes up to five year imprisonment or Rs10 million fine, or both, for hate speech or trying to create disputes and spread hatred on the basis of religion or sectarianism.

According to the new law, the violator may face up to five year imprisonment or Rs5 million fine, or both, for transferring or copying of sensitive basic information.
Other punishments include up to Rs50,000 fine for sending messages irritating to others or for marketing purposes.

If the crime is repeated, the punishment would be three months imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs1 million.Up to three year imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs0.5 million for creating a website for negative purposes is also included in the Cyber Crime Bill.

Up to one year imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs1m for forcing an individual for immoral activity, or publishing an individual’s picture without consent, sending obscene messages or unnecessary cyber interference, is also included the laws under the new bill.

Up to seven year imprisonment, a fine of Rs10 million or both for interfering in sensitive data information systems, while three month imprisonment or Rs50,000 fine or both for accessing unauthorised data have been suggested in the laws.

A three-year imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs5 million for obtaining information about an individual’s identification, selling the information or retaining it with self, will be implemented after the bill is proved.

For issuing a mobile SIM card in an unauthorised manner, a punishment up to three year and a fine of up to Rs0.5m will be slapped.Up to three-year imprisonment and fine of up to Rs1m for making changes in a wireless set or a cell phone, while up to three-year imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs1m for spreading misinformation about an individual is included in the bill.The Cyber Crimes Bill is due to be dispatched to Senate, and then to president to be signed.

The Nation