Panel asks Home Ministry to add cyber porn, blackmail, stalking offenders to National Database

New Delhi: The Standing Committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs, in its latest report, has asked the Ministry to include the offenders and criminals proliferating in cyberspace who are repeatedly engaged in cyber pornography, cyber blackmailing, cyberstalking, or bullying in the National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO).

The NDSO has been created by the Home Ministry for the use of the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) to identify repeat offenders, receive alerts on sex offenders as also to help in investigations.

The panel, headed by Congress MP Anand Sharma, observed that it was essential to strengthen the investigation machinery for the identification and tracking of offenders committing cybercrimes, particularly against women and children.

The Committee also observed that it was very important to conduct a nationwide campaign to create awareness amongst all sections of the society regarding the use and misuse of cyber space and also about the evolving technology which is being leveraged to commit different and new types of cyber crimes. It is also very important to protect minor children/juveniles from indulging in crimes like talking, online-trolling, molesting, it added.

The report also expressed concern regarding the growing use of online streaming sites, apps showing sexually abusive content in movies, serials and felt that appropriate regulation thereof was required to save society from its deleterious impact.

The Standing Committee`s 233rd report on action taken by the Government on atrocities and crimes against women and children was presented in Parliament on August 10, 2021.

The Committee observed that dependency on cyber space has been growing exponentially with the constant adoption of digital services, tools and applications. This has also led to an increase in cybercrimes and associated challenges.

"To address the challenges, a targeted approach from different angles is needed which will include imparting proper training to law enforcement agencies, investing in the right cyber security solutions, evolving dynamic prevention methods and raising mass awareness on the use and misuse of the cyberspace", the panel said.

The panel also recommended that cyber safety lesson plans should be included in the educational institutions to make students aware of internet safety and its responsible use. Further, the educational institutions should be instructed to hold sessions with parents to make them identify at an early stage any signs of their children being victims of any of the cybercrimes, the report added.

The MHA informed the Committee that a `Handbook on cyber safety for adolescents, students` has been released and a soft copy of this booklet has been made available online at www.cybercrime.gov.in and at the Home Ministry website.

This booklet has also been circulated to all ministries, departments, states and Union Territories. It has been holding regular meetings with educational institutes to discuss the further course of action to increase awareness amongst students in prevention of cybercrimes, the MHA added.

(With agency inputs)