Abuse of intimate moments in the cyber ways

CYBER CRIME AGAINST WOMEN
http://www.cybervictims.org


Often I am asked why plight of adult women in the internet bothers me more than children. It is disheartening to note that adult women often suffer more than children do and few understand the problems. There are many vicious windows which portray women in nasty styles .Earlier when I was researching on these sites, especially on adult entertainment sites, I noted that these sites present apparently “very legal” pictures; for instance, the viewer needs to certify that he/she is not a minor, the sites display that models have acted with their free will and none are minors even though some may look like minors. But what whirled around in my head was……… are these models playing really as per their free wills? Well, in certain circumstances I doubt and I have every reason to doubt. As a cyber crime researcher and counselor, I get to see many cases where releasing either original or morphed  intimate pictures, videos etc, showcasing women especially, has become a fashion for showing revenge taking power for many broken hearts. Couple of months back, I wrote a blog on ‘forced pornography’. Well, in this blog I wish to discuss about some ‘real breach of trusts’ through adult entertainment sites, ‘storage websites’ with capacity of store huge MBs of files , peer to peer networking etc. Often men and women enter into ‘forbidden experiments’ either coerced by emotional needs or just for experimenting. In such intimate moments either both of them consent or one is forced to consent by the other partner for emotional needs. What the female partner do not consent for, is clicking her in this ‘too much private’ situation. These people are mostly not married couple but may be committed or may not be. Well, this had never remained new phenomena, but what emerged as a new fashion is to take undue advantage of this situation in the very cyber way.  Often these pictures or videos are offered to many unwanted sites which are possibly the best revenge for breaking hearts one can think of. A year back I came across an article which pointed out how possibly internet helps to carry on trafficking of women for sex industries. Perhaps this is one of easiest ways to traffic women virtually. Now, where does the breach of trust or abuse of intimate moments arise here?

Internet has become a way of life for us. Internet provides every single information we need. Practically after the internet revolution many people forgot the ways to real life libraries, smell of old and new books and even the patience to read the good old books. Well , well…….definitely I belong to one of those who now rarely visit libraries. People of my sort love to stay in the internet as long as it is possible and no wonder, several men and also women love to get sexual pleasure from such adult entertainment sites. Imagine the plight of those innocent women who would have popped up in these sites without their knowledge and even consent. How much humiliation these women may go through when some inquisitive, caring friend or relative  makes an international call/long distance call /lands up at the door step suddenly  to let  such victims know what has happened…!

Do our Indian laws say some thing? Well, off course yes. The Indian Penal Code, the century old caretaker of Indian victims’ rights may be mentioned as foremost. Section 509 strictly prohibits harming the modesty of women with a penal punishment  which may run to one year imprisonment or fine or both. The mischief was given a more strict approach through  Indecent representation of women (prohibition) Act 1986, which through section 3 and 4 aims to prohibit indecent representation of women; this Act writes a stronger note  when such women victims are depicted in that particular indecent  fashion without their consent and knowledge. Quite in the same line, Indian information Technology Act (Amended) 2008 also prohibits intrusion into the privacy of women ( and also men) in the cyber way through section 66E which prohibits voyeurism and prescribes punishment for three years and also a huge monetary fine; the Act further prohibits publishing obscene materials under section 67 and materials containing sexually explicit materials under section 67A . Note that   the later section prescribes a noncognizant, non bailable imprisonment for a term of maximum 7 years.

 Readers, don’t be surprised to note that even though these ‘seems to be strong laws’ operate in our country, innocent women are still being  exhibited in these adult entertainment sites. Humiliation piles up, victimization leaves a deep trauma and those behind these nasty activities feel this is the magic of cyber space. People don’t forget, one moment’s mistake can land you in legal trouble for ever……………no matter whether it is cyber space or real space, law will never forgive such mischief mongers.

Please Note: Do not violate copyright of this blog. If you would like to use informations provided in this blog for your own assignment/writeup/project/blog/article, please cite it as “Halder D. (2010), “Abuse of intimate moments in the cyber ways”, June  2010, published in http://debaraticyberspace.blogspot.com"  

Cyber victimization: We can prevent it…..and we will

CYBER CRIME AGAINST WOMEN
http://www.cybervictims.org/

In India, cyber victimization remains a hush hush issue when it comes to individuals. In 2009 I, a lawyer and a Ph.d candidate of NLSIU myself, along with my criminologist husband created “Centre for Cyber Victim counseling”© for the cause of cyber crime victims of India. We are happy to note that our organization’s website http://www.cybervictims.org/ proves useful to many. Indeed, me as a woman and as an internet user also, have been ridiculed and teased several times in the internet and I know there are several men and women who have been victimized like me in the cyber space. I have learnt to use my bad experiences, my knowledge of   law and my legal background for good and I dedicate my experiences for the cause of betterment of the society through “Centre for Cyber Victim counseling”© . Our organization will be celebrating it’s first birthday in July this year and as a first anniversary celebration, we have revamped our organization website and it can be seen @ http://www.cybervictims.org/. We help victims through online counseling and we have teamed up with our national and international knowledge partners to work towards prevention of cyber victimization. We are now spreading our wings and we will be arranging awareness programmes.  As our first initiative, we will be the “support partner” for the first international conference of South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology (SASCV) (  http://www.sascv.org/). We are also requesting the print media to contact us for more information in this regard which will be a fruitful effort towards prevention of cyber crime.

From my own personal experiences I can say “being a victim” is the hardest truth one may have to come across. I started ‘interneting’ since 2005 .As a new owner of a personal computer and the broadband connection; I loved to mail my friends and cousins in different cities and countries. I was practically confined in a house with a two year old baby and some arrears in for my   Master of Law (ML) degree examinations. I felt ridiculous with no law teachers who can guide me for the study materials, no fellow students with whom I can discuss and no friends around to whom I can confide how hard it is write exams with a two year old baby. I didn’t take to depression –drugs , instead I went for internet. I started getting huge study materials and friends .Well,   I did pass the exams well, but I didn’t leave internetting even after I was conferred ML degree. Those days privacy in the internet was relatively little known issue. I became members of couple of social networking sites and within days my inbox was swept with teasing, vulgar messages. I loved to fuss about my husband and I prominently displayed “married” status every where. No wonder, he started getting unwanted mails and bullying attacks soon. In fact I remember a particular occasion when I demanded a dinner outside because he “won a lottery”. Fortunately he is well read and he told me no dinner because that was a fake mail. I really didn’t believe it as long as one of our friends reported to have lost nearly Rs. 25,000/-  .Well, that was one of my first encounters with cyber crime. Slowly my interest grew in this area and I found so many victims of similar incidences around me. I know I may sound odd, but it is a bitter truth …....many don’t know how they are being victimized online and many individuals willingly become victims. “Centre for cyber victim counseling”© is build upon the trust that the victim’s immediate need would be looked after. I call all the victims who fear to face the reality, to really face it bravely. Consider our organization at http://www.cybervictims.org/ as your friend ……we are there to help you. 

How secure are female cyber crime counselors?

CYBER CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

This blog is dedicated to all female cyber crime counselors who may have come across numbers of harassments in the cyber space for their noble fights to help other victims.

Way back in 2007 when I started experimenting my writing skill with the e-journals and mags ,I never thought what I may have to face finally. I was a very new writer and I approached a cyber law magazine named “Cyber lawtimes.com” for publishing my thoughts. The editor, Ankur Raheja,  an accomplished lawyer himself, was very kind to give me some space in his new venture, the law magazine, to express my ideas about cyber crime against women. Couple of days after my article was published; I started getting mails from individuals asking for “help” and “suggestions” for their own problems in the cyber space. I thank each of these individuals because they were the very first persons to make me understand how grave the problem of cyber crime against women could be. I started developing my own interest in the subject and started my own independent research. I came across numbers of blogs, as well as personalities, professors, lawyers and human right activists who are working on prevention of cyber crime all over the world. I started following blogs and write ups of several female cyber crime activists like Jayne Hithcock, Parry Aftab, Emma , Lynn Roberts, Citron ……to name a few and I was more surprised to see how many of such women activists had been attacked in their personal lives because they are women and they work against cyber criminals. Well, I too have joined the gang of these brave and bold  women and I did taste how it feels to be wounded in their way.

            I read Jayne’s experiences in the cyber space in many of her interviews and her own website @ http://www.jahitchcock.com/. Well it was not because she was a “she” that victimization took place in many occasions, but her being a “she” also contributed to a certain extent in the victimization process. Citron in her article “Cyber civil rights” wrote about numerous law students and female activists who were “Man- handled” for their works in the cyber space……The story actually begins here ……as cyber crime counselor and cyber right activists, many women had to sail  in the rough weather. The very common of all these harassments is probably receiving threatening mails from anonymous individuals. Next in line are obviously defamatory and bullying messages, of which I myself am a victim. Many times my husband, who himself is very much into cyber security issues, has to hear “made up” stories and ‘complains’  about me. Fortunately I haven’t come across any severe cyber sexual threats still now, but the story may not be the same with other female cyber activists. The other big disturbing factor is getting to hear not –so- funny comments about our own ability to carry on the mission because we are “women after all”.  It is really disheartening to see such messages in the inbox or message boxes ……many of you there would be smiling now , thinking “weird …..how come such silly teasing-remarks   can become crime?”…….. well, off course it is “wrong” to insult any woman in this way. Some call it “gender harassment” and  I love to term it “unwanted harassment”.

            Women are not safe….. even if “she” is into prevention /protection unit. Funnily enough, men and women both ‘love’ to  harass women cyber crime activists when it comes to save their own misdeeds .I had  mentioned in my earlier blog in  “When men turn victims  and women the offenders”, (March 2010, published in http://cybervictims.blogspot.com) as how women also become "cyber harassers". However,as it has always remained….when a woman cyber crime counselor/activist boldly brings up the issue to the law and justice machinery, often “Lady Justice” turns a mute spectator initially,  because  the reporting agency may never understand what the hell has happened that this woman is making such a big fuss out of that small issue…………Well….blame on us ‘human beings’…..we really never think it is not always the children who need protective internet laws but also adults who need little sense of understanding and decency to not to play with fellow human beings with internet as a weapon.

Please Note: Do not violate copyright of this blog. If you would like to use informations provided in this blog for your own assignment/writeup/project/blog/article, please cite it as “Halder D. (2010), “How secure are female cyber crime counselors?” March 2010, published in http://debaraticyberspace.blogspot.com"

First conference of SASCV

With immense pride, it is announced that South Asian Society for Criminology and Victimology is going to have its first international conference at Jaipur, India. Students, academicians, professionals ...........all are welcome to  participate in the conference. Please visit   http://www.sascv.org/conf2011/ for more informations.Please note, you can present your paper/s on any one of the  themes which are announced in the website and not necessarily cyber crime alone.The  papers would be selected after a high level peer review and you may even get a chance to publish your paper in the "International journal of criminal justice sciences" ( Please visit http://www.sascv.org/ for more informations). 

Debarati

Celebs and crime

This is in sequence of my earlier blog on female actors and their plight in the cyber crime arena posted on http://debaraticyberspace.blogspot.com titleled "Cyber harassing the women , saga continues for Indian cine stars".to day morning I noticed this particular blog has been copied in another site without clearly giving the original source, i.e, the name of the author, the web resource etc. What I understand  is , probably in my earlier blog in question, I had taken names of few well known glamorous  female actors and that caused my blog and myself to be taken away from me.Sounds funny? well, that's it... woman is again in trouble. This is what I wanted to prove as how female celebs attract unwanted onlookers and also perpetrators in the cyber space.

However, I want to clearly mention that if some one is interested to use my blogs or for that instance, any blog of any individual, the work must be properly cited.please do mention the author's name , the blog's original address and then explain how it really affects you for good or bad.
Hope this creates an awareness again for cyber crime against women in India and world as well..
Debarati Halder, Advocate

Centre for Cyber Victim Counseling (CCVC): A committed organization to help Cyber Crime Victims

CYBER CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

It had been eight long months since we started Centre for “Cyber Victims Counseling” (CCVC). I felt this is the right time to write a few words about this brain child of ours……me and my husband. We are basically a “Trust”, an all voluntary not for profit NGO with social service agenda, working towards betterment of cyber space. Our primary concern is Indian cyber space. Being a lawyer myself, I felt this is the best way I could contribute to my country and countrymen. Indian cyber space has become more secured than before due to several organizations and individuals who are working on cyber crime issues since couple of years. On behalf of CCVC, we are proud to follow their footsteps.   

 When we conceived the idea of CCVC, I never knew there would be so many responses. Many contacted us for different sorts of help and guidance from within the country as well as outside the country. We in CCVC are thankful to all of you who consider us “worthy friends” to tell your problems. While we were building CCVC, we received many criticisms too. We consider them as treasures in disguise. Feedbacks, guidance and criticisms make CCVC stronger to help the victims, individuals, students and the researchers as well. We are growing in handling each experience of yours. I take this opportunity to thank Jayne Hitchcock, whom I consider as my mentor. I got to learn basic cyber ethics from her. WHOA and Hitchcock were our “motivators” behind starting CCVC.

I know, healing a patient with physical pain is a tough job. But healing a victim of cyber attack is neither an easy task. The pain one goes through remains for long, some times for life. Besides providing counseling to cyber crime victims, what satisfies me more is the blogs I run as a part of CCVC’s activities. These blogs creates awareness about cyber crimes and victimisation. I would be extremely happy to help all who need to know about cyber crime and laws . In the CCVC, we are planning for more activities in the coming months. Do keep an eye on CCVC’c blogs @ http://cybervictims.blogspot.com/ and http://debaraticyberspace.blogspot.com/ to know about our further plans and activities.

CYBER HARASSING WOMEN: THE SAGA CONTINUES FOR INDIAN FEMALE CINE STARS

CYBER CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

Aishwarya Rai continues to be my dream actress since the day she appeared in the Indian cinemas for the first time. I have a chosen league of movie stars, television actors and media entertainment personalities whom I love to watch on the TV screen as well as in real life. Believe me, I was equally fascinated as well as shocked when I found them in the interent. I was fascinated because Facebook and Orkut helped me to connect with them, see their very private self. I was shocked because when I Google searched their names I got to see ugly sides of their public life. I know, there are thousands of “FANS’ like me who continuously lookout for new developments in their matinee idol’s lives. But there are “fans” who love to cherish these poor human beings in other ways. I saw Aishwarya’s "not wanted" pictures in some “Hot sites”. Others were also not spared,  Katrina, Ceilina Jeitly, Raima Sen …….to name a few. Go for name searching in Orkut or Facebook and you will find umpteen numbers of good, bad, worst and even worser sites depicting female actors in unwanted ways. Cyber tactics are responsible for this. Most of the ‘hot pictures’ some one gets to see of these actors are doctored pictures .Some victims get to know this to their utter shock and , some feel the best way to reduce the menace is to avoid and ignore the paparazzi. But the problem is not limited to sexual depiction only. There are sites to hate them ,there are sites made *with* these poor human beings to show women from all walks of life what mutilation of virtual life could be, and there are people who love to let other know “see this woman of silver screen can beg for virtue”. Stalking, spreading bad gossips, threatening and blackmailing with already available pictures of these actors by cyber assistance have become a cake walk for perpetrators. What amuses me more is these women are even not spared when they want to network with their friends and family through social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace. Way back, I came across such impersonated profiles of leading TV stars which promised to give a “good time” once chatting session starts. My own cousin being in the film fraternity, I know personally how these poor victims of cyber crime can react.

The question is who does it and why it is done? One truth which surprises me is, the perpetrator could generally be a die hard fan who wants to come in touch with the actor by hook or crook. Again, doing pornography business with already available avatars of “wanted” faces is off course a lucrative venture…….well, once the technology works for the entrepreneur, there is no need to hire real life “models” .Ex spouses also fill the fuel sometimes.

When a fraction of these cases get reported, most of the time, more than the police, media investigates the issue and these piles up the humiliation. Imagine when the victim is an upcoming star having a good academic background (especially those who have chosen profession in media and entertainment leaving conventional job offers) and an erudite family and friend circle to lie upon, what psychological stress her peers could go through, leave her own mental state of affairs. No doubt, many times such types of cases are registered faster and given good priority for the name sake. But that does not solve the problem always. A personal meeting with the ‘heart throb’ and ‘promises’ to remove the links may end the case before the Judiciary gets the chance to experiment the case with newly formed protective laws. The story does not end here, this sets an example for other die hard fans to find out better ways to interact with the chosen actors. 

Does any one care that this adds up to cyber harassments and the law remains mute spectator?