Draft bill suggests 3 yrs’ jail for hacking, e-impersonation

NEW DELHI: Any person trying to tamper with a computer in a government IT network faces three years’ imprisonment, apart from a fine of Rs. 1 lakh, according to a draft bill on e-services. Electronic services include passport, driving licence, permit, payments, or receipts from a government department using electronic means.

The bill also levies a fine of Rs. 1 lakh with three years of imprisonment on anyone who tries to impersonate another person, whether dead or alive, real or imaginary, or provides any false demographic or biometric information to avail any e-service. “Impersonation didn’t attract a punishment earlier, if it was unaccompanied by cheating. Impersonation is now a new crime prevalent especially on internet,” said Delhi-based cyber law expert Vivek Sood.

The bill would also apply for offences committed on government’s computers from outside India. “Earlier laws also attracted penalty on any overseas person hacking an Indian computer, but arresting has been a challenge,” Sood added. Any person who destroys, deletes or alters any information residing in any such computer resource or diminishes its value or damages it by any means shall be punishable, the bill states. Tampering offences would include downloading copies from any such computer resources involved in e-services.

Storage of any citizen data from a computer involved in e-services, in a CD or USB drive would also attract jail. The crimes include introducing a virus into any such computer or hacking with malicious intent. The Draft Electronic Delivery of Services bill, 2011 is likely to be introduced in next session. Citizens who want to avail of any e-service would be provided a cutoff date of its delivery, be it an application for a scholarship, passport or license. All such e-services would be accessible by web portals which would be integrated with the National Portal.

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The bill would also apply for offences committed on government’s computers from outside India.

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Any person who destroys, deletes or alters any information residing in any such computer resource or diminishes its value or damages it by any means shall be punishable.