The Story So Far
After the Pahalgam terror attack, a Navy officer’s wife called for peace and rejected hate against Muslims and Kashmiris.
She and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri (after a ceasefire announcement) were both heavily trolled online, including attacks on their families.
What Are the Limitations of the Existing Laws?
India doesn’t have a specific law to deal with online abuse like trolling, doxxing (leaking private info), or cyberbullying.
Some laws in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and IT Act partially cover online crimes (e.g., identity theft, threats, harassment).
But these laws are outdated or too narrow and can’t handle modern online abuse by anonymous trolls or viral attacks.
What Are the Concerns Over Censorship?
The government can block online content using Section 69A of the IT Act if it affects national interests.
Platforms must follow these orders or lose legal protection.
But often, content is taken down without telling users why — this goes against a 2015 Supreme Court order requiring transparency.
X (formerly Twitter) was ordered to block 8,000 accounts but said the government didn’t explain why.
X also challenged Section 79(3)(b) arguing it circumvents safeguards under Section 69A, saying it lacks proper rules and review.
What About Judicial Interventions?
In one case, the Delhi High Court ordered X to remove posts exposing a woman’s personal info after she criticized a politician.
The court said this wasn’t technically doxxing since the data was “already public,” but admitted that doxxing is a serious issue.
India’s new Data Protection Law doesn’t clearly define what “publicly available data” means, which makes it easier for people to misuse online info to harass others.
What Are the Challenges Ahead?
Experts say weak enforcement is the biggest problem.
While platforms act fast when the government orders content to be taken down, they’re slow when regular people report abuse.
Online abusers often stay anonymous, laws vary across regions, and police lack proper training to deal with digital crimes.
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