Online Harassment and Doxxing
Prelims:
Polity and cyber security
Mains:
GS Paper II- Governance and
Internal Security, GS Paper III-Cyber Security
Current relevance:
Several
women who participated in the Jantar Mantar protests demanding the
resignation of the Union Education Minister have reported online harassment,
including doxxing, rape threats and death threats through social media
platforms.
Highlights:
Online Abuse
1.
Doxxing:
i.
It is the unauthorised
collection, disclosure or dissemination of an individual's personal or
sensitive information online, often with the intent to intimidate, harass,
threaten or target the person.
ii.
Videos and
photographs of women protesters were widely shared on X and Instagram,
with posts urging followers to "teach them a lesson."
iii.
Personal
details, including names, city, phone numbers and addresses, were allegedly
circulated online.
2. Legal Framework in India:
i.
The Right
to Privacy, recognised by the Supreme Court as part of Article 21 (Right
to Life and Personal Liberty), provides constitutional protection against
unlawful disclosure or misuse of personal information.
ii.
National
Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), enables
citizens to report cybercrimes, including online harassment, cyber
stalking, identity theft, doxxing, and the unauthorised disclosure
of personal information.
iii.
Information
Technology Act, 2000
Provides a legal framework to address unauthorized access, identity
theft, data theft and other cyber offences.
iv.
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and
Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
Mandate social media
intermediaries to remove unlawful content and provide effective grievance
redressal mechanisms for users.
v.
Digital
Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023
Regulates the
processing and protection of personal digital data and imposes obligations on
entities handling personal information.
vi.
Bharatiya
Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023
Depending on the
nature of the act, doxxing-related conduct involving criminal intimidation,
stalking, harassment, defamation, identity-related offences, or publication of
personal information may attract relevant provisions of the BNS.
3. Preventive
measures:
i.
Protect your
personal information by limiting what you share online, strengthening
privacy settings, using strong passwords with multi-factor
authentication (MFA), and avoiding oversharing of sensitive details.
ii.
Exercise
caution while posting by removing location tags and metadata, protecting
contact information, monitoring your digital footprint, and staying alert
to phishing attempts.
iii.
If targeted, preserve
evidence, report the content to the platform and law enforcement
authorities, and encourage family members to secure their online privacy to
prevent misuse of personal information.
Source: THE
HINDU-