Introduction to Cyber Law: Cyber law is a term that encapsulates the legal issues related to use of communi cative

transactional and distributive aspects of networked information devices a nd technologies. It is the law governing cyber space. Cyber space is a very wide term and includes computers, networks, software, data storage devices (such as hard disks, USB disks etc), the Internet, websites, emails and even electronic d evices such as cell phones, ATM machines etc. Cyber space: 1.The term "cyberspace" stands for the global network of interdependent informat ion technology infrastructures, telecommunications networks and computer process ing systems. As a social experience, individuals can interact, exchange ideas, s hare information, provide social support, conduct business, direct actions, crea te artistic media, play games, engage in political discussion, and so on, using this global network. Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, i n which online communication takes place. "Cyberspace is the `place` where a telephone conversation appears to occur. Not inside your actual phone, the plastic device on your desk. Not inside the other person's phone, in some other city. The place between the phones, the indefinite place out there, where the two of you, human beings, actually meet and communic ate." The word "cyberspace" was coined by the science fiction author, William Gibson 1 984, when he sought a name to describe his vision of a global computer network, linking all people, machines and sources of information in the world, and throug h which one could move or "navigate" as through a virtual space. Cyber law is the governing cyber space. Cyber space is a very wide term and incl udes computers, networks, software, data storage devices (such as hard disks, US B disks etc), the internet websites, emails and even electronic devices such as cell phone, ATM machines etc.

Electronic signature & Digital signature: 2."Electronic signature" means an electronic or digital method of identification that is executed or adopted by a person with the intent to be bound by or to au thenticate a record. "Digital signature" means a type of electronic signature that transforms a messa ge through the use of an asymmetric cryptosystem. Account to Section 2(1) of the Information & Communication Technology Act, 2006. : "digital signature" means data in an electronic form, which-(a) is related with any other electronic data directly or logically; and (b) is able to satisfy the following conditions for validating the digital signa ture-(i) affixing with the signatory uniquely; (ii) capable to identify the signatory; (iii) created in safe manner or using a means under the sole control of the sign atory; and (iv) related with the attached data in such a manner that is capable to identify any alteration made in the data thereafter. A digital signature (not to be confused with a digital certificate) is an electron ic signature that can be used to authenticate the identity of the sender of a me ssage or the signer of a document, and possibly to ensure that the original cont ent of the message or document that has been sent is unchanged. Digital signatur es are easily transportable, cannot be imitated by someone else, and can be auto matically time-stamped. The ability to ensure that the original signed message a rrived means that the sender cannot easily repudiate it later. Electronic signature: Identification data in electronic form which is attached t o or logically associated with other electronic data to serve as a method of aut hentication.

Information Technology is encapsulating all the aspects of life across the world . It has brought transition from paper to the paperless world. With the increasi ng usage of internet in the world, the criminals are also increasing in the fiel d of information technology. The cyber criminals are able to use the software by creating it themselves and manipulating it for their own benefits. It is happen ing only because of the simplicity of crimes. In order to maintain harmony and co-existence of people in the cyberspace, there is a need for a legal program called as Cyber Laws. Cyber laws are basic laws o f a society and therefore, have implications on each aspect of cyber society suc h as business, governance, entertainment, crimes, education, information deliver y, etc. The cyber crime is no longer limited to time, space or a group of people . Hence, there is a need of cyber laws. Cyberspace is an intangible dimension and therefore, it is impossible to regulat e and govern it using conventional law. As the internet is worldwide, it goes ac ross borders and is not visible. In cyberspace, there are many cases where so ca lled conventional crimes are done using the computers or the internet such as cr iminal threats delivered through e-mail, spreading of pornographic material, web sites that defame someone, etc. In these types of cases, the computer is merely a tool used to commit the crime. Cyberspace has complete disrespect for jurisdictional boundaries. A person in Ba ngladesh could break into a bank s electronic vault hosted on a computer in USA an d transfer millions of Dollars to another bank in Switzerland, all within minute s. All he would need is a laptop computer, a cell phone and some talent. Cyberspace is absolutely open to participation by all. A ten-year-old in Bhutan can have a live chat session with an eight-year-old in Bali without any regard f or the distance or the anonymity between them. Definition of 'Economic Efficiency' A broad term that implies an economic state in which every resource is optimally allocated to serve each person in the best way while minimizing waste and ineff iciency. When an economy is economically efficient, any changes made to assist o ne person would harm another. In terms of production, goods are produced at thei r lowest possible cost, as are the variable inputs of production. Some terms tha t encompass phases of economic efficiency include allocation efficiency, product ion efficiency and Pareto efficiency. Explains 'Economic Efficiency' 3. Economic efficiency is a term typically used in microeconomics when discussing p roduct. Production of a unit of good is considered to be economically efficient when that unit of good is produced at the lowest possible cost. Economics by Par k in and Bade give a useful introduction to the difference between economic effi ciency and technological efficiency A state of economic efficiency is essentially just a theoretical one; a limit th at can be approached but never reached. Instead, economists look at the amount o f waste (or loss) between pure efficiency and reality to see how efficiently an economy is functioning. Measuring economic efficiency is often subjective, relyi ng on assumptions about the social good created and how well that serves consume rs. Basic market forces like the level of prices, employment rates and interest rates can be analyzed to determine the relative improvements made toward economi c efficiency from one point in time to another. Need for Cyber Law: ? Cyberspace is an intangible dimension that is impossible to govern and r egulate using conventional law. ? Cyberspace has complete disrespect for jurisdictional boundaries. ? Cyberspace handles gigantic traffic volumes every second. ? Cyberspace is absolutely open to participation by all. ? Cyberspace offers enormous potential for anonymity to its members. ? Cyberspace offers never-seen-before economic efficiency. ? Electronic information has become the main object of cyber crime. It is

characterized by extreme mobility, which exceeds by far the mobility of persons, goods or other services. ? A software source code worth cores of rupees or a movie can be pirated a cross the globe within hours of their release. ? Theft of corporeal information (e.g. Books, papers, CD, ROMs, floppy dis ks) is easily covered by traditional penal provisions. 4. CD-ROMs (Compact Disc, read-only-memory) is an adaptation of the CD that is des igned to store computer data in the form of text and graphics, as well as hi-fi stereo sound. The original data format standard was defined by Philips and Sony in the 1983 Yellow Book. What is hacking? 5. Hacking is the practice of modifying the features of a system, in order to ac complish a goal outside of the creator's original purpose. The person who is con sistently engaging in hacking activities, and has accepted hacking as a lifestyl e and philosophy of their choice, is called a hacker. Computer hacking is the mo st popular form of hacking nowadays, especially in the field of computer securit y, but hacking exists in many other forms, such as phone hacking, brain hacking, etc. and it's not limited to either of them. Due to the mass attention given to black hat hackers from the media, the whole h acking term is often mistaken for any security related cyber crime. This damages the reputation of all hackers, and is very cruel and unfair to the law abiding ones of them, from who the term itself originated. The goal of this website is t o introduce people the true philosophy and ethics of hackers, hopefully clearing their name and giving them the social status they deserve.

5. Computer crime: Cyberspace also brings together every service and facility imaginable to expedit e money laundering. One can purchase anonymous credit cards, bank accounts, encr ypted global mobile telephones, and false passports. From there one can pay prof essional advisors to set up IBCs (International Business Corporations, or corpor ations with anonymous ownership) or similar structures in OFCs (Offshore Financi al Centers). Such advisors are loath to ask any penetrating questions about the wealth and activities of their clients, since the average fees criminals pay the m to launder their money can be as much as 20 percent. 6. Virus Introduction: In computers, a virus is a program or programming code that replicates by being copied or initiating its copying to another program, computer boot sector or doc ument. Viruses can be transmitted as attachments to an e-mail note or in a downl oaded file, or be present on a diskette or CD. The immediate source of the e-mai l note, downloaded file, or diskette you've received is usually unaware that it contains a virus. Some viruses wreak their effect as soon as their code is execu ted; other viruses lie dormant until circumstances cause their code to be execut ed by the computer. Some viruses are benign or playful in intent and effect ("Ha ppy Birthday, Ludwig!") and some can be quite harmful, erasing data or causing y our hard disk to require reformatting. A virus that replicates itself by resendi ng itself as an e-mail attachment or as part of a network message is known as a worm. Cyberspace handles gigantic traffic volumes every second. Billions of emails are crisscrossing the globe even as we read this, millions of websites are being ac cessed every minute and billions of dollars are electronically transferred aroun d the world by banks every day. 7. Electronic records: Electronic, or machine-readable records, are records on electronic storage media Electronic record, as defined regulations means any information that is recorde d in a form that only a computer can process and that satisfies the definition o

f a Federal record per the Federal Records Act definition supplied above. Federa l electronic records are not necessarily kept in a "recordkeeping system" but ma y reside in a generic electronic information system or are produced by an applic ation such as word processing or electronic mail. 2(7) of ICT Act 2006 "electronic record" means data, record or data generated, i mage or sound stored, received or sent in an electronic form or microfilm or com puter generated microfiche; 8. Electronic Filing: In its simplest form, electronic filing is the substitution of an electronic doc ument for a traditional paper document. With the evolution of Internet technolog y, electronic filing has become a highly secure and reliable method for sending, receiving, and managing legal documents and case information. 9. IP (Internet Protocol) is the primary network protocol used on the Internet, developed in the 1970s. On the Internet and many other networks, IP is often us ed together with the Transport Control Protocol (TCP) and referred to interchang eably as TCP/IP. IP supports unique addressing for computers on a network. Most networks use the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) standards that features IP a ddresses four bytes (32 bits) in length. The newer Internet Protocol version 6 ( IPv6) standard features addresses 16 bytes (128 bits) in length. Data on an Internet Protocol network is organized into packets. Each IP packet i ncludes both a header (that specifies source, destination, and other information about the data) and the message data itself. 10. Www: The term WWW refers to the World Wide Web or simply the Web. The World Wide Web consists of all the public Web sites connected to the Internet worldwid e, including the client devices (such as computers and cell phones) that access Web content. The WWW is just one of many applications of the Internet and comput er networks. 11. Definition of HTTP: The Hyper Text Transfer Protocol provides a standard for Web browsers and servers to communicate. The definition of HTTP is a technical specification of a network protocol that software must implement. HTTP is an app lication layer network protocol built on top of TCP. HTTP clients (such as Web b rowsers) and servers communicate via HTTP request and response messages. The thr ee main HTTP message types are GET, POST, and HEAD. HTTP utilizes TCP port 80 by default, though other ports such as 8080 can alternatively be used. 12.Web Page: A web page or webpage is a document or information resource that is suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser and displayed on a monitor or mobile device. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide navigation to other web pages via hypertext links. Web pages fre quently subsume other resources such as style sheets, scripts and images into th eir final presentation. Web pages may be retrieved from a local computer or from a remote web server. Th e web server may restrict access only to a private network, e.g. a corporate int ranet, or it may publish pages on the World Wide Web. Web pages are requested an d served from web servers using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). 13. Electronic Transaction: An electronic transaction is the sale or purchase of goods or services whether b etween business, households, individuals, governments and other public or privat e organizations conducted over computer mediated networks. The goods and service s are ordered over those networks, but the payment and the ultimate delivery of goods or service may be conducted on or off-line. 14. An electronic certificate: An electronic certificate satisfies the accompany requirement if the certificate i s identified by a unique identifier and can be accessed via a World Wide Web URL or other electronic means, provided the URL or other electronic means and the u

nique identifier are created in advance and are available, along with access to the electronic certificate itself, to the Commission or to the Customs authoriti es as soon as the product or shipment itself is available for inspection. Section 36 of ICT Act 2006 : Issue of certificate. The Certifying Authority may is sue a certificate to a prospective subscriber only after the Certifying Authorit y (a) has received an application in the prescribed form requesting for issuance o f a certificate from the prospective subscriber; (b) if it has a certification practice statement, complied with all of the pract ices and procedures set forth in such certification practice (c) if the prospective subscriber is the person to be listed in the certificate to be issued; (d) if all information in the certificate to be issued is correct; and (e) Whether the prospective subscriber paid such fees as may be prescribed for i ssuance of certificate. 15. Electronic commerce or e-commerce: Electronic commerce or e-commerce refers to a wide range of online business acti vities for products and services. It also pertains to any form of business transa ction in which the parties interact electronically rather than by physical excha nges or direct physical contact. Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or e-comm., refers to the buyi ng and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Inter net and other computer networks. Electronic commerce draws on such technologies as electronic funds transfer