Societal Impacts

Today the technology has changed every aspect of out life. The way we communicate, work and all
our interactions have changed forever. There are some areas where the changes are positive and also
there are aspects that are negative. Our privacy and security have been compromised in many ways and
to maintain them we have to be extra alert.

In this chapter we are going to study how technology has impacted the individuals and society as
whole.

1. Digital Footprint

While we use internet we create a trail of data in form of comments, pictures, emails, chats stc.
This trail of data is called Digital Footprint.

A digital footprint includes

• Pictures uploaded
• Emails sent or received
• Website visited
• Comments made on websites or social media sites.
• Information submitted to online services like registration for schemes etc.

So it can be seen that anyone who uses internet has a digital footprint. The contents like mail or
pictures on social media can be deleted but the digital footprint may not be deleted.

A digital footprint can be categorized as

• Passive digital footprint
• Active digital footprint

1.2 Passive digital footprint

Passive digital footprints are the trails that are left without user’s knowledge or intention. The
user is not aware about the passive digital footprint being created.

These footprint are gathered using user’s IP address. The information related to when the IP
address was created (this is when the user became active on internet) and where it was created
(geographical area of IP address) can be generated and later used for analysis.

1.3 Active digital footprint

Active digital footprints are trail that the user knowingly or intentionally leaves in digital space.
The user is aware about the active digital footprint.

An email sent, a blog published, a tweet posted and status update on Facebook wall are the
examples of active digital footprint.

1.4 Uses of digital footprints

 At this stage you may be thinking that the digital footprint is something that we need to be
worried about. Also you may wonder why is this digital footprint important?

A digital footprint is often used to get information about you. It can be about geographic
location, likings, preferences of products, areas of interest and even social and political
orientation.

This information can be gathered using the cookies that are present in your system. Cookies are
small bit of information that he web servers leave on our system.

The digital footprints are used

• By advertisers to give customized advertisements.

• By employers to check your personality by online activities
• By schools before admissions to check the validity of claims

1.5 How to manage the digital footprint

So we have seen that the digital footprint can be generated with or without your knowledge.
Also that the digital footprint can have very big impact on the overall life professional or
personal. We need to be aware and manage our digital footprint.

Let us now see few tips to manage our digital footprint

• Google yourself : This can give you opportunity to check what is the present digital
footprint. This will give you an insight into the present digital footprint.

• Be careful about the language used : Many times we think that when we are online and
chatting or emailing no one other than sender and receiver are able to see the contents.
But we have to be careful about the language being used. There is very little privacy and
anonymity than we think we have. Your temporary burst of emotions can have
permanent scar in digital space. So think before you post.

• Use privacy settings : Every browser and social media apps that we use have privacy
settings. Keep your personal details like address and phone numbers private or
accessible only to friends. Never keep personal data public.

• Keep login information safe : Keep a track of accounts we create on various websites. If
they are not being used by you then deactivate or un-subscribe.

• Check the pictures you are sharing : Keep track of the pictures being posted by you. If
you feel that a picture is not appropriate to show friend in physical space then it does not
qualify to be uploaded in digital space also.

• Read the terms and conditions : Any time we install a new app and use a website for first
time we get terms and conditions to read. The common reaction is just click on accept
and move ahead. But it is good to make an attempt to read it before installing app and
using the website.
1.6 Advantages of digital footprints

All said and done the digital footprints are not all dangerous and scary. If done rightly they can
provide a good insight into you are a person. A good and strong footprint can land you in good
school or desired job. A clean digital footprint can also help in case of digital fraud or legal
issues.

1.7 Disadvantages of digital footprint

While digital footprint is inevitable there are some disadvantages. Your personal data can be
used to generate revenue without your concern. You phone numbers, personal dates, locations
can be put for sell. You may also get many unwarranted advertisements or information through
emails. Your financial behaviour can be tracked and used to reduce your credit ratings.

2. Net and communication etiquette

As we have seen that whatever happens in internet space gets recorded and can be used by
others also, so we need to follow certain etiquette online. These are similar to the
etiquette that we observe in real world.

The etiquette that we observe in internet are called netiquettes. Some of the commonly
observed netiquettes are;

• Use respectful language : The best yard stick to judge if you are speaking right is to ask
if the same would be spoken in real space. Name calling, usage offensive words, or
cursing should not be used in any internet space also. Chat room, social media, emails or
even comments written anonymously should not have these objectionable contents.

Also writing all the text in upper case (Capital letters) is considered to be yelling, and so
avoided at any cost.

• Share with discretion : Never share unedited home videos, you problems with your
family or professional colleagues online. Even if you delete them they can create a
negative impact about you.

• Choose your friends wisely : It is not always necessary to accept all the friend requests
you receive in all the social media platforms. Check the background, check the mutual
friends, in case of doubt ask relevant questions. Do not believe only the names. This is
same as we do not call someone we meet while walking on street as friend.

Also do not hesitate to unfriend if you feel necessary. Never revisit the person
and disturb them.

• Respect other’s privacy : Do not send BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) mails if the main
recipient is not aware. This is like giving a copy of letter written to one person to
someone else without the original recipient’s knowledge. This is no-no in real life also
and so it is online. Also do not forward the private message sent to you in public space.
 Do not post group photos in public space without taking the consent. Do not tag
the photos of people without their knowledge or consent.

• Fact check before re-posting : As the real world is full of rumours so is the internet full
of fake information. It is miraculous cures, chain letters that can make you feel good,
good luck if you do certain task and the list is unending.

In real world these are understood as fake things and not done. Will you visit ten friends
to tell them about special feel good stuff? If in real life you do not then please do not do
it online also.

Before you forward any sensational information / news check with sources, google it or
also can be checked from any company or website it claims. But for your own safety do
not directly click any links given in the message.

• Respond to emails properly : There are some emails that can be poky or making you
furious. Still while answering the mails keep yourself poised. Have curtsy to respond
and give appropriate information. Do not ignore the mails repeatedly. You can honestly
tell that some questions are out of your scope of operations. But ignoring them would be
like you are asking a person a question and he/she turns back and walks away.

3. Data protection

Data protection is process of securing important data from corruption, compromise or loss.

Data is created painstakingly from various sources which most of the times can not be
recreated. Therefore it is very important that data is protected from all possible situations that
can cause corruption, compromise or loss.

Data protection involves;

• Practices to protect data

• Legal framework that can help in keeping the data safe

3.1 Data protection

Data protection was introduced as people were getting more and more concerned about the data
privacy. Due to the wide spread usage of technology in various fields a lot of personal data is
collected. This data is collected, processed and utilized by various agencies. The data protection
is aimed at protecting the privacy of an individual.

Principles of data protection are that

• Data must be lawfully processed

• Data must be processed for a definite purpose
• Data collected must be adequate and relevant for the purpose
• Data collected must be kept in such a way that it is always accurate
3.2 Legal framework for Data protection

Indian IT Act 2008 (Amended) 43A gives compensation to an individual if their data is not
kept reasonably secured. Therefore it become the responsibility of the organization collecting
data to keep it safe and use only for the purpose it is intended for.

Some of the tips to keep your date safe are

• Lock down data : The data can get compromised accidentally or intentionally. So it is
always prudent to limit access of the data. Lock the access of data to per-determined
users.

• Identify and classify the sensitive data : There is nothing called perfect security.
Therefore knowing exactly what needs protection is very important to protect it. More
attention is to be given to the critical data by storing it in most secured storage.

• Have strong passwords : This is very basic of data protection. The passwords can be set
using standard sets of rules i.e.
◦ Alphanumeric passwords
◦ Combination of uppercase and lowercase characters
◦ At least one special character
◦ No proper nouns or dictionary words.

Also the passwords need to be changed often to keep the them relevant.

• Multi-factor authentication : There are be security breaches even after giving strong
passwords. Some of the reasons for this can be passwords written down, passed to
employees in unsecured manner. Therefore multi-factored authentication can help. Some
of the methods used for multi-factored authentication are
◦ Something that user has, like a card, USB device, key etc.
◦ Something that user knows, like PIN, OTP etc.
◦ Something that user is, like fingerprint, voice recognition, iris scanner etc
◦ Somewhere the user is, like GPS location.
A good example for this is the ATM machine. After inserting the card the correct PIN is
to be given. Another example is of Adhaar where the number followed by the fingerprint
or iris scanning is required to authenticate.

4. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

In olden days Kings and nobles of society would protect the people who have such ideas,
products or skills. This gave the owner of idea, product or skill the financial stability and
ownership of the idea, product or skill.

In modern industrial world, when someone has a good idea, great product there always would
be people who would try to duplicate it. Once your ideas or products are copied by other you
loose the financial benefit that you may get from it.

The earliest known usage of ‘Intellectual Property Right’ dates to 1769, when a piece
published in ‘The Monthly Review’, an English Periodical used the phrase.
 Therefore main aim of having Intellectual Property rights are
• Protect it against infringement by others
• Stop others using, making, selling or importing it without your permission
• Earn royalties by licensing it
• Make money by selling it
• Encourage the creation of large variety of intellectual goods.

4.1 What is covered under Intellectual Property Rights?

Intellectual Property Rights are one’s legal rights in respect of the ‘property’ created by one’s
mind. The creations can be;
▪ Invention
▪ Music
▪ Artistic work
▪ Slogan
▪ Logo design
▪ Written work
▪ Computer software
▪ Technology know-how
▪ Trade marks

There can be many more creative activities that can be covered under these rights.

4.2 These rights are largely covered by the laws governing

• Patents
• Trademarks
• Copyright
• Designs

Patents : Patents are exclusive rights granted by the Government to a company/individual

for an invention. They are time bound. As per laws in India patents are granted for
maximum 20 years from the date of filing for the patent. Also they are valid only in the
territory where they have been granted.

The patents are covered by the Patents Act, 1970.

Trademark : They are symbols, words, designs or any combination of them that can
uniquely identify the product or service.

The law relating to registration of trade marks is governed by the Trade and Merchandise
Marks Act, 1999.

Copyright : Copyright is a right of creator of especially, product produced by artistic skills.

Literary, dramatic or artistic word such as novels, poems, films, music, paintings, computer
software etc are covered under copyright.

The Copyright Act 1957 provides for registration of such works.

 Design : The design refers to a shape, configuration, pattern, or composition that may be
used by any industrial process, which is having distinct finished product.

The Designs Act, 2000 protects the designs.

5. Plagiarism

5.1 What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is usually defined as the "wrongful appropriation" of another's words, thoughts,

ideas, or expressions and the misrepresentation that they are the representer's original work. Of
course, with a definition that broad and vague, most any sort of researched work might be
considered plagiarized. However, plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty, but is not a
crime, per se.
5.2 Consequences
of Plagiarism

• Destroyed reputation
• Legal repercussion
• Monetary repercussion

5.3 Common types of Plagiarism

• Direct Plagiarism : Word to word reproduction of someone else’s work.

• Self Plagiarism : When own previous work, either complete or in parts, is resubmitted.
It can be work resubmitted for different courses.

• Mosaic Plagiarism : When few phrases from original work are borrowed without
quotation marks either knowingly or unintentionally.

• Accidental Plagiarism : This type of plagiarism results when a student forgets to cite or
misquotes the source in the work.

5.4 How to detect plagiarism?

There are various softwares and websites that can help you check the content for Plagiarism. It
can also be done manually, but that can be time consuming.
 Few commonly used Plagiarism detection websites are

• www.copyscape.com
• www.quetext.com
• www.grammerly.com

Some commonly used Plagiarism detection software are

• Dupli Checker
• Copyleaks
• PaperRater
• Plagiarisma
• Plagium

5.5 Tips to avoid Plagiarism

Here are some easy tips to void plagiarism in any academic or professional work;

• Use quotation mark around someone else’s phrase or words

• Cite the material
• Get involved in the work you are expected to do. This will reduce the chances of
plagiarism.
• Structure and plan your writing well in advance.
• Use plagiarism checkers
• Write bibliography for your work
• Don’t forget your online resources

6. Licensing
A license is an agreement that allows someone to copy, use, or resell a commodity, such as
digital content.

We are going to closely look at three licensing

6.1 Creative Commons License : A CC license is used when an author wants to give
other people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that he or she (that author)
has created.

A Creative Commons gives the creator freedom to decide

• Do I want to allow commercial use or not?
• Do I want to allow derivative works or not?
 This license allows others to distribute and build upon the work, even
commercially, if the credit is given to the creator.

This license allows others to distribute and build upon the work, even
commercially, if the credit is given to the creator and the license of the
new creation also is given under identical terms.

This license allows others reuse the work for any purpose, including
commercially; however, it cannot be shared with others in adapted form,
and credit must be provided to you.

This license lets others remix and build upon your work non-
commercially but their new works must also acknowledge creator and be
non-commercial.

This license lets user remix and build upon the creator’s work non-
commercially, as long as they credit the creator and license their new
creations under the identical terms.

This license is the most restrictive of our six main licenses, only allowing
users to download and share the works with others as long as they credit,
the creator but the user’s can’t change them in any way or use them
commercially.

6.2 GPL (General Public License) : This is a free software license. It gives the users freedom
to the users to use, modify and redistribute the software. This license was originally
written by Richard Stallman from the Free Software Foundation for the GNU Project.

The copyrighting restricts the users from modifying and

redistributing the copies. But the GPL gives the freedom
to the user provided that every redistributed copy is
bound by the same license agreement.

One thing that we need to keep in mind here is that ‘free’ does not mean without any
payment. It only refers to ‘freedom to use’.

For exmple ‘Linux kernel’, MySQL etc.

6.3 Apache : Apache is a FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) agreement that is
designed by ASF (Apache Software Foundation).

Some of the prime features of Apache license are

• Software may be freely used, modified and
distributed under Apache License.
• Software can be modified and sold as a package.
Software developed, modified and sold under this license can also be sold under other licensing.
7. Open Source : The concept of open source contents came into existence around 20 years ago. It
encourages development of softwares based on collaboration and sharing. OSI (Open Source
Initiative) was founded in 1998 jointly by Eric Raymond and Bruce Perens in late February
1998. The term “open source” was coined in Palo Alto in California.

Open Source software is software that can be freely accessed, used, changed, and shared (in
modified or unmodified form) by anyone. This is possible as the ‘source code’ is open i.e.
available to the user.

Open source software can be developed for commercial purpose and can even be sold. However
it is not proprietary software where the source code is not available.

You may be wondering that if the developer does not keep the source code secret and gives it to
the user either for money or free, then how do they earn money? The money is earned be the
developers in this set up by providing the services related to the software. Services like
customization, maintenance and warranties can be sold.

Some of the prominent open source software are Linux, MySQL, Netbeans etc.

7.1 FOSS : Free and Open Source Software is a free and open source software. Anyone is freely
licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source code is openly
shared so that people are encouraged to voluntarily improve the design of the software.

The advantages of using FOSS are

• The users can do customization and add personal control.
• The software is free of charge so every cost effective.
• The quality and security of the software can be ensured as many organizations contribute to
it.

While there are many advantages, there are few disadvantages also. Some of the disadvantages
are
• The is no customer-support
• There could be issues with hardware and software compatibility.
• The continuation of development of the software may not be guaranteed. So after using a
software for some time the user may have to discontinue it.
• They may have some unfixed bugs (software errors).

Some of the examples of FOSS are Linux, atom editor etc.

8. Cyber crime and Cyber laws

8.1. Cyber crimes : Till now we have many threats that we come across while working in digital
world. All these and many more threats are covered under the name cyber crime.
Cybercrime can be defined as “Offenses 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 and mobile phones”
 In a cybercrime the hardware may be a mean or target of the attack. A cybercrime may hurt an
individual, community or even a country.

Cybercrimes are broadly categorized as;

• Financial frauds : These frauds can affect businesses as well as individuals equally by
loosing their financial freedom or draining their financial resources. One example of this
crime is where a machine or camera was installed at an ATM in order to pick up card
information and PIN numbers when customers use their cards.

• Cyber Terrorism : A cyber terrorist is someone who intimidates or coerces a government or

an organization to advance his or her political or social objectives by launching a computer-
based attack against computers, networks, or the information stored on them. In August
2013, media companies including The New York Times, Twitter and the Huffington Post
lost control of some of their websites after hackers supporting the Syrian government
breached the Australian Internet company that manages many major site addresses.

• Cyber Extortions : Cyber extortion occurs when a victim is threatened with repeated denial
of service or other attacks by malicious hackers. These hackers demand money in return for
promising to stop the attacks and to offer "protection". Recent ‘Ransom ware attack’ is an
example of cyber extortion.

• Cyber Warfare : Cyber warfare is the use or targeting in a battlespace or warfare context of
computers, online control systems and networks. “In December 2015 Ukraine power grid
cyber attack has been attributed to Russia and is considered the first successful cyber attack
on a power grid.”

• Computer as a targeted : Crimes that primarily target computer networks or devices include:
• Computer viruses
• Denial-of-service attacks
• Malware

• Computer as a tool : When the individual is the main target of cyber crime, and the
computer is used as the tool rather than the target. In these type of attack human weaknesses
are exploited. Crimes that use computer as a tool include:
◦ Fraud and identity theft
◦ Information warfare
◦ Phishing scams
◦ Propagation of illegal obscene or offensive content, like cyber trolling.

8.2. Child Pornography : Child pornography is the sexually explicit depiction of anyone under the
age of legal consent. Child pornography includes stories and other written passages, drawings,
digitally manipulated images, video, or any number of other media.

Many countries including India have sever penalties and imprisonment for creation, distribution
or possession of child pornographic material.
8.3. Cyber scams : With exponential growth of online services and usage there is proportional
growth of cyber scams and frauds. This dishonest individuals or businesses take advantage of
unsuspecting people to get benefits, monetary or in terms of information. Some of the common
scams happening in online space are

• Unexpected prize scams : You may receive message or email stating that you have won a
lottery or a free product or even a free travel benefits. To claim these freebie you may
have to deposit fraction of money towards taxes, transaction charges or provide
sensitive personal information. Do not fall pray to these offers. Report to cyber crime
cell immediately.

• Unexpected money scams : This scam involves transfer of huge sum of money from on
account to other usually in two or more different countries for charity or any other
seemingly good reason. To perform these transfers you may be asked to provide personal
information or provide your account details to act as a mediator.

• Dating or romance scams : These are very attractive as they tap your human weakness,
compassion and romantic attitude. These scams may provide you with life-partners with
dubious credentials. Also there could be websites which publish the dating or marriage
proposals without verifications resulting in the victims getting emotionally, physically or
financially attacked.

• Threats and extortion scams : ‘Ransomeware’ or any other malware can be used to get
criminal access to your information. This in turn can be used to extort money or force
victim to do further illegal acts. These often do not only stop at a financial transaction
but spiral into repeated threats. Therefore, must be immediately reported to the cyber
crime cell and regular backup of your data must be maintained to void being trapped.

• Jobs and investment scams : There are many websites that offer jobs for those who are
seeking employment. There are many lucrative offers promising very high income for a
very little effort, work from home, part time work etc. They may ask for processing fees
to start the work. Often after the fees are paid there is no response from the employer or
website.
Similary, the victim can be lured by very high return investment schemes through phone
calls or emails. There can be genuine looking customer care centers and websites to
guide the victim. Once the victim has enough confidence to deposit the money and few
initial payments the whole system of scam(website and other contacts) disappears
without trace.

8.4 Identity theft : There are a variety of forms of personal identification that a thief may steal from
you. Identity theft can occur by
 • Identity cloning : This type of identity theft occurs when the perpetrator wants to take on the
identity of another in order to conceal his true identity. For example, an illegal immigrant
may steal a person’s identity in order to obtain a job in the country.
• Criminal Identity Theft : Criminal identity theft occurs when a person identifies himself as
another person to avoid detection by law enforcement, to evade arrest, or to evade
prosecution for a crime. This can also help criminal commit the crime with identity of other
person.
• Medical Identity Theft : This may be done to gain monetary benefits from insurance or other
medical facilities.
• Child Identity Theft : Child identity theft may be committed by a family member or friend,
but strangers might use the numbers to apply for loans or claim other social benefits.
How to identify if you are a victim of identity theft? Signs of identity theft include:
• Failing to receive bills in the mail.
• Seeing unexplained bank account withdrawals.
• Being denied credit unexpectedly.
• Having a merchant refuse to accept your check unexpectedly.
• Receiving calls from debt collectors about accounts you are not aware of.
• Receiving bills on accounts you did not know about.
• Receiving notification from the IRS that more than one tax return was received in your
name.
Some of the simple steps for identity theft protection include:
• Protect PIN numbers by never writing them on credit/debit cards, or on a slip of paper in
a wallet
• Shield keypads when using ATMs
• Pay attention to whether bills arrive as scheduled
• Keep all receipts and account statements and shred unwanted statements or receipts
• Keep all personal information in a safe place at home.
• Ignore unsolicited requests for personal information
• Use firewalls on home computers
• Always use secure passwords
• Check credit reports annually, or any time theft is suspected

8.5 Hacking: The term hacking came into existence in 1980s. In a science fiction movie, Tron
described the process of breaking into a company’s computer as ‘hacking’. Hacker / black hat
hacker is a person who breaks into a computer system with malicious intentions.

Normally hacking is attempted for one of the following reasons

• Criminal Financial gain. This can be by getting data of credit cards or access to the
accounts.
• Gaining credentials and improving reputation in hacking community.
 • Corporate hacking, where one company employees hackers to steal data from rival
company. This can also be extrapolated to a nation hacking into data of other nation.

There is also a term known as ethical hacker / cracker / white hat hackers. These are also the
people with in-depth know-how of computer system. But utilize that to improve the security of
the systems. These crackers do not have any malicious intentions while breaking into a
computer system. They only do that to check the vulnerability of the system. Once a vulnerable
spot is found and is reported, there is a quick reaction from the organization maintaining the
system to rectify the same, thus making the system more secured.

8.6 Phishing : This is a cyber crime, where the target is contacted using email, SMS etc posing as
legitimate institution. The target is mislead and thus gives out personal or confidential
information. The kind of information often sought is credit card / debit card numbers,
passwords, PIN or other banking details, employment details etc. This information is later used
to commit other crimes using that information.

The phishing emails can be identified by

• They often have information that is too good to be true. Like winning of lottery, special gift,
employment offer etc.
• Urgent appeals for help. A very sympathetic mail / SMS with very urgent appeal can be
putting people into action without too much logical thinking. Overpowering emotions can
make a person give out certain information that attacker seeks.
• SMS with hyperlinks or mails with attachments from unknown person can be lure you into
giving sensitive information.

There are some simple rules that can keep you safe from phishing attacks,
• Keep spam filter updated. Do not open spam mails unless you are very sure about the
sender.
• Browsers can be kept updated with all the security update.
• Report any incidence of fake website that you come across to the banks or financial
institutions.
• Ensure that the website opens with https protocol while doing any financial or sensitive
transaction on internet.
• Don't post personal data, like your birthday, vacation plans, or your address or phone
number, publicly on social media
8.7 Cyber bullying : Cyber bullying is harassment using electronic media. This is very common on
social media especially in teenagers and young adults.

Bullying can include harmful or embarrassing remarks, rumours, threats or hate. The victim of
such bullying experiences low self-esteem, negative emotions and sometimes even suicidal
tendencies. Cyber bullying leaves a digital footprint that can cause the repeat of incidences by
others also. Cyber bullying may often be accompanied by face-to-face bullying also.

How to differentiate between a prank or joke and a bullying? Only you can be the judge for this.
If you feel hurt and nervous it is not good. That needs to stop.

How to identify if someone is being bullied?

 • Bullying victim is uncomfortable in the common environment. For example a student not
comfortable in school and remains absent often without valid reason.
• Not active on social media where they earlier were.
• Not ready to discuss about certain issues. The victims become very secretive about some
things.
• Rarely the victim may have weight gain or weight loss and other physical symptoms like
head aches.
• They may face difficulty in sleeping and thus remain sleepy whole day.
• They loose the interest in talking with friends or take part in the activities that they earlier
used to.

What to do if you are bullied?

• There may be a support group or a counselor in school. You can take help from them. Talk
to them by informing them the incidence. Do make an attempt to preserve the digital
footprints as evidence.
• Do active disengagement. Do not engage with the person or group that is involved in
bullying activities.
• Inform the social media service provider about the incidence. For example if the bullying
has happened on Facebook then report it to them. Every social media may have different
steps for reporting.
• On social media check the privacy settings. Check who can comment and who can share
your post.

8.8 Information Technology Act 2000 : With the huge number of cyber crimes reported and
inability of conventional laws to deal with these crimes there was a need to have a dedicated
law that deals with crimes done in Cyber space. In October 2000 Indian government
understanding the need of hour came up with Information Technology Act 2000. This law is
applicable for India, i.e. is the crime involves the computer or network located in India. This act
has undergone many amendments to keep it up-to-date and the latest major amendment
happened in 2008.

Let us go through few important provisions under Information Technology 2008 act.

S.No. Section Offense covered Penalty

1 XI65 Tampering with Computer Imprisonment up to three
Source Documents years, or with fine which may
extend up to two lakh rupees,
or with both.
2 66A sending offensive messages Imprisonment for a term which
through communication may extend to three years and
service with fine
3 66C Identify Theft imprisonment which may
extend to three years and fine
which may extend to rupees
one lakh
4 66E violation of privacy Imprisonment which may
 extend to three years or fine
not exceeding two lakh rupees,
or both
5 66F Cyber terrorism imprisonment which may
extend to imprisonment for life

There is a separate cyber police cell established for reporting the Cyber crimes but this can also
be done in regular police stations.
https://cybercrime.gov.in is official Government of India site for information and reporting of
cyber crime.

9. E-waste management : World is getting increasingly dependent on technology. Technology is

growing at rapid pace with new gadgets and ideas developed everyday. Due to penetration of
internet the spread of technology is very swift. Availability of Apple Phone X in India, within
few months of launch in USA, is a case to note.

It was realized that most of people do not have adequate awareness of problem. Those who are
slightly aware do not know the procedures to be adopted. Also there is a lack of policy
directives to encourage repairs of products. Manufacturers are happier increasing their sales at
the cost of increasing the landfills. The research in developing better methods to dispose the e-
waste is lacking funding and direction.

Used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling, or disposal are
considered e-waste. Broadly it consists of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, glass, wood
and plywood, printed circuit boards, concrete, ceramics, rubber and other items.

Even though 60% of e-waste contents metals the remaining 40% is what we are more concerned
about as it contents potentially life threatening, hazardous materials.
 Here is the list of few components of e-waste and their impact on humans.

S.No. Component Where it is found? What are hazards? Mode of

transmission
1 Arsenic Semiconductors Heart Disease Through presence in
LEDs Cancers water
Solar Panels Skin thickening
Microwaves
2 Cadmium Batteries Lung damage Mainly affects
Solder Effects on bones through food or air
Circuit boards Liver dysfunction borne
CRT monitors
3 Lead Batteries Anemia Mainly affects
Transistors Kidney Damage through water and
Lasers Brain damage gets stored in bones,
LEDs blood and tissue
4 Mercury LCD Skin problem More hazardous in
Switched Memory loss air borne form
Steam Iron Problems of sensory
organs

The above table is only tip of the iceberg. There are many more like cobalt, copper, nickel,
silver, gold, zinc and the list is really long.

9.1 Dealing with e-waste

• As a consumer we have to be aware about the impact that an individual decision can have on
the amount of e-waste generates

◦ Buy only when you need : Have a informed screening of the appliance or gadget being
purchased. Before making a decision of purchase jot down the expectations from the gadget.
For example, a laptop that is going to be used only for office work or one used for extensive
gaming. Check the specifications and your need. Purchase only when fully satisfied. This
will avoid dumping of gadgets due to expectation mismatch.
◦ Explore possibility of repairs : In the era of use and throw, there is very little importance is
given to repairs. Many gadgets are thrown in bin without checking the possibility of repairs.
It is found practically the gadgets found in bins can be brought back to life just by removing
dust e.g. Keyboards, mouse, remotes etc.
◦ Reuse in creative way : Many components of e-waste can be effectively reused for new
creations. Few ideas are shared here
▪ Motors from various devices as hard disk, CD drives can be used for small projects
taken up for educational purpose.
 ▪ Magnets and lenses can also be similarly used.

 Collection System : We need to have effective collection system that can follow proper disposal
procedure.

 Donation : Many times what is useless in your eyes can be a very useful item for others. There
are huge number of gadgets which make to the e-waste pile due to obsolete technology but
working condition. Donation walls can be setup so that the individual who does not require the
item can keep it their and the one who requires may take it. This can be taken up as a social
responsibility and NGOs are encouraged for taking up this cause.

 Repair Infrastructure and Spare Part availability : There is widespread tendency of the
manufacturers to keep the repair facilities minimal and the spares rarely available. This results
in many repairable gadgets getting dumped. There are many manufacturers after realising the
gravity of problem have started the take back programs. You can return the item to the
manufacturers for exchanges or coupons. Prominent manufacturers and retailers who offer the
take back option are, Apple, Dell, HP, Amazon, Flipkart, to name a few.

 Research Activities : There is great need of research in the areas of safe disposal of e-waste and
developing products with green material that would not increase the problem further.

 Legal Framework : In encouraging and enforcing all the above there needs to be a policy
directives at all levels. There is the e-waste policy of government of India that is exhaustive.
Revised as recently as 2016 with few new features of the E-Waste (Management) Rules.

10. Awareness about health concerns related to the usage of technology

No area of our day-to-day lives is untouched by technology. We use computers, smartphones,

tablets and many other devices. The usage of technology has reduced the work load and made
some tasks more effective and efficient. But the technology has also given us health problems
like neck pain, eye strain etc. These are related to physical health. In addition to this the
technology also takes toll on mental health. Increase in cases of depression, anxiety is result of
excessive use of technology.
10.1 Physical Health effects : The common physical health issues due to excessive use of technology
are,
• Eye Strain : Looking at the illuminated screens of laptop, smartphones can lead to eye
strain. The watering of eyes, blurry vision and dry eyes can be result of long time usage of
devices.

Taking regular breaks away from screen may reduce the effect.

• Poor Posture : The way most people sit while using the devices can cause musculoskeletal
issues like back pain, neck pain etc.

Being in correct posture while using devices is only way to avoid these problems. Also
strengthening the back and neck muscles through regular exercise also can help.

The above images show the correct postures while using various devices.

10.2 Mental health effects : The excessive usage of technology can take toll on mental well-
being of the users. Some of the common issues are,

• Sleep problems : This is one of the most common problem faced by the users. Using
technology too close to the bedtime is not advisable. This effect has to do with the fact
that blue light emitting from devices that stimulates the brain. So avoid using the
devices at least one to two hours before bedtime.

• Behavioral problems : Excessive gaming or lonely work on computers can create

behavioral problems like aggressive behavior, stress and depression, addictions and
interpersonal problems. There must be a self discipline in usage of devices. Many hours
of being alone with any device without human interactions can lead to such behavioral
problems. Therefore one must limit the amount of time spent with devices.