Cyber mercenaries: Hackers surfing the Internet

When Saswati Poddar, law officer for Canopy Project Private Limited, was working for IBM in Mumbai in 2005, she had to deal with a lot of documents relating to computers. “My interest in learning the varied aspects of computer-related laws arose at that point of time,” she says. She subsequently left her job at IBM but is still interested in cyber law. “I am in the first semester of a course in cyber law and am becoming aware of the issues surrounding the security of particular documents and the way viruses can damage computer systems,” adds Poddar.

Poddar is one of the 22 students who are studying a six-month course in cyber law at the Global School of Tech Juries (GSTJ) in Calcutta. Misum Hossain, one of the founders of GSTJ — the only cyber law education centre in Calcutta — started the institute in the city when he noticed the lack of awareness regarding cyber law issues in the region. “I worked as a visiting faculty in several colleges, among them the Asian School of Cyber Law in Pune. My experience convinced me that cyber laws needed more attention and so, I started this institute,” he says.

Though the Information Technology Act was passed in 2000, even today, there is very little awareness regarding cyber crimes and the laws that are in place to tackle them. Many people still believe that cyber crimes are a problem of the West and rarely occur in India. However, credit card frauds and bank scams done through the Net, hacking, Internet pornography, etc, have become quite common even in this country. Which is why the police too are boning up on the issue. The Calcutta Police have a cyber crime cell which has successfully captured several cyberspace offenders. Banking and insurance companies are also incorporating cyber crime prevention measures as part of their security systems.

The GSTJ, with its faculty comprising young legal professionals and computer experts, aims to bring technology jurisprudence within the grasp of students. The six-month course is meant for those who are keen to explore the world of Internet abuse. To be eligible for the course, you need to have passed the Plus Two or its equivalent exam. But most members of its current batch are law students who want to develop an additional competency in cyber law. Candidates who have some knowledge of computer science are preferred since part of the course is technical in nature.

Balaram Banerjee, an advocate at the Calcutta High Court, feels that the cyber law course is important since only a cursory knowledge of the IT Act will not suffice for a proper understanding of cyber crimes. “There is a plethora of new concepts on cyber crime and we are learning new things all the time,” he explains. As an example he cites digital signatures that are used for authentication of e-records. Digital signatures are often misused in transactions over the Internet and with companies increasingly moving towards maintaining e-records, the chances of these records being illegally accessed are more than ever before.

“Cyber crime is rampant in this country and this course provides a sound grounding in concepts like hacking and data theft,” he says. Adds Subroto Talukdar, a Calcutta High court lawyer, “The course is best suited for lawyers and law students who want to delve into the various aspects of cyber crime.”

GSTJ plans to introduce some other courses as well. A three months’ course in cyber intellectual property rights, with 50 seats, is scheduled to be launched in November. A cyber forensic course is also set to begin early next year.

GSTJ has an active placement cell that helps students find jobs in relevant fields.