A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE OF INTERNET AND SOCIETY ON CYBER LAW

Author – PALAK AGRAWAL, STUDENT AT MANIPAL UNIVERSITY OF LAW, JAIPUR

ABSTRACT

The internet, like the electrical engine in the Industrial Age, is the dominant technology of the Information Age. The internet, which is a vast network of connected networks, primarily offers wireless interactive communication. Despite being introduced in 1969, the internet didn’t reach the general public until the 1990s.

There are currently about 7 billion users of wireless devices that use internet technology, and its use has spread fast throughout the world since that time. With 7.7 billion people on the planet and just a small percentage of them under the age of five using the internet, it is virtually reasonable to state that everyone is now online. The available bandwidths do vary, nevertheless, and the-cost and effectiveness of use.

It’s estimated that the internet now has access to around 95% of all information that is currently available. Moreover, communication, knowledge accessibility, and social interaction have all undergone radical change as a result of the internet. The internet has both beneficial and negative consequences on society, as with any significant technology changes. Now a days a day without internet is a day without food for poor people for the growing nation.

KEYWORDS: Way back Machine, Web 2.0 , Social Networking Sites, Internet

INTRODUCTION

The Internet today connects people from around the world and enables worldwide communication. From cultural interchange to social and economic advancement, it has changed society in a variety of ways. The Internet has made it possible for many new ways of thinking and communicating, and it has changed many of the rules of engagement.

We now have access to an almost limitless amount of information, from news websites to regional news sources. We can now get news from any source, anyplace.

The availability of bandwidth, price, and location all affect access speed. However, everyone’s quality of life has increased as a result of internet use. The sources they want to utilise and the information they want to acquire are both options for those who want to read the news.

Young people are using the Internet to express their political liberties and speak their thoughts. This is heartening because it demonstrates how the Internet has benefited political freedom. Access to quicker, more affordable internet connections could aid in the overthrow of powerful leaders.

According to some estimates, the majority of information has been digitised and made available online. This processing mechanism has also had a profound impact on social interaction, knowledge availability, and communication.

The internet has both beneficial and negative consequences on society, as with any significant technology changes.

GROWING USE OF INTERNET

The percentage of people that have access to the internet globally is 65,6%. Worldwide, there are 4.28 billion distinct mobile internet users, or 54.6% of the world’s population.

There are already more than 1.8 billion webpages on the internet (Internet Live Stats, 2022).

Tim Berners-Lee, the man who invented the world wide web, launched the very first website in August 1991.

Since the public launch of the internet in 1991, or 30 years ago. 361 million individuals have access to the internet globally by the turn of the millennium, nine years later.

East Asia is home to over a quarter (24.4%) of the world’s internet users.

By its social networking tools, the internet brings together individuals who might not otherwise have access to a creative life. Real time, wide space, and human expression are valued on the internet. Nevertheless, this is a side effect of the Internet. The Internet has to be more diverse, appreciate diversity, and reflect our global culture.

Although the Internet is helping the international economy, its effects are not seen everywhere. When the digital divide widens, it may affect all countries. Both jobs and a country’s economic performance will suffer as a result. Therefore, it is impossible to overlook how the Internet has affected contemporary society.

CYBER LAW

Cyber Law also called as IT law is the law regarding information technology including computer and the internet. oversees the digital distribution of information, software, information security, and e-commerce and is connected to legal informatics.

IT law encompasses elements of contract, intellectual property, privacy, and data protection laws rather than being a distinct area of law. A crucial component of IT law is intellectual property. In Europe and internationally, the topic of software licences is contentious and continually developing.

Cyber laws serve a variety of functions. Some laws establish guidelines for how people and businesses can use computers and the internet, while others shield citizens from becoming victims of crime as a result of dishonest online activity. The following are the main areas of cyber law:

1. Fraud

 To safeguard consumers from online fraud, cyberlaws are essential. Legislation is       created to stop online financial crimes including credit card theft, identity theft, and others. Identity thieves may be charged as accomplices or as state criminals. They might also run into a victim-driven civil lawsuit. Cyber attorneys work to both defend and prosecute clients accused of online fraud.

• Copyright

Violations of copyright are now simpler thanks to the internet. When people first started communicating online, copyright infringement were all too common. For the purpose of bringing a lawsuit to impose copyright protections, both businesses and individuals need attorneys. The area of cyber law known as copyright violation safeguards people’s and businesses’ legal right to financial gain from their creative works.

• Defamation

A number of employees express their opinions online. It can cross the line into defamation when people use the internet to spread untrue information. Civil rules called defamation laws protect people from false public statements that could damage their reputations or those of their employers.

• Harassment and Stalking

Criminal statutes that prohibit harassment and stalking may occasionally be broken by statements made online. There is a violation of both civil and criminal statutes when someone repeatedly posts threatening comments about another individual online. When stalking occurs online or through other electronic communication, cyber lawyers both prosecute and defend the victim.

• Freedom of Speech

   The free exchange of ideas is a crucial component of cyber law. Freedom of speech rules also let people to express their opinions, despite the fact that cyber laws prohibit specific acts online. Cyber attorneys must inform their clients of the restrictions on free expression, such as those relating to laws against obscenity. When there is a disagreement about whether a client’s actions are legal, cyber attorneys may also defend them.

• Trade Secrets

To secure their trade secrets, businesses that conduct business online frequently rely on cyber regulations. For instance, the algorithms used by Google and other online search engines to generate search results are developed over a long period of time. They also devote a lot of work to creating other features, including search services for flights, intelligent assistance, and maps. Cyber laws support these businesses in taking legal action when required to safeguard their trade secrets.

• Contracts and Employment Law

You utilise cyber law every time you click a button that indicates that you accept the terms and conditions of accessing a website. Every website has terms and conditions that are somehow connected to worries about privacy.

RESULT OF INTERNET ON SOCIETY

The prevalence of internet addiction and problematic internet use varies across studies and nations. The notable disparity in prevalence estimates is due to a number of factors, including the diverse populations evaluated and the varying diagnostic techniques and evaluation standards applied. In light of this, it seems that 13% of teenagers in Europe engage in internet-related maladaptive behaviour, and 4% of them use the internet in a pathological way that negatively impacts their lives and health. Adults are said to have similar numbers.

The study’s first section focuses on generalised internet addiction, addiction to online gaming, and addiction to online gambling. These three probable addiction disorders have different clinical presentations, patient profiling, comorbidities, tools, therapies, and prognoses. According to the study, the experience and seriousness of internet addiction are substantially influenced by the individual, cultural, and media-use context.

The report suggests a number of preventive measures and provides data to back up such legislation. It claims that providing information, screening tools, and campaigns about internet use-related addiction issues to students in secondary schools and universities can be beneficial, particularly in the case of gaming addiction in adolescent populations. For this, it will be necessary to allocate funds for research and resources for families, educators, and schools, as well as to collaborate with healthcare providers.

IMPACT OF INTERNET : GOOD OR BAD ON SOCIETY ?

It is undeniable that the Internet has changed practically everyone on the planet over the past twenty years as it has developed and matured. You undoubtedly go through things on the internet, and you never come out the same. Do these, however, represent good or bad? A better life has the Internet made possible?

YES

Universal communication is available for free on the Internet. It provides access to all of the world’s learning and knowledge. No matter where you go or what you do, this fast, free service gives you access to news, media, and information. Everyone is impacted by the Internet in the same manner; it provides them with more resources for quicker communication, more information for wiser decision-making, and more connections for a larger social network. Each of these is positive.

The impacts of a newspaper, television programme, movie, and magazine are all combined on the Internet. The Internet is everything that the free press is, and it is a bulwark of democracy. It is the best example of free speech in practise when any computer, no matter who owns it, anywhere in the world, has equal access to every other computer through a global distributed networking infrastructure. It must be given every opportunity to develop and flourish since it is the pinnacle manifestation of democracy in action. It improves all of our lives by expanding our liberties.

It serves as a tool for truth, to sum up. Before there were established facts, people relied primarily on rumours, hearsay, and speculation. They could rely on information they had retained from school or the news. Less educated folks were drowned in a sea of opinion whereas those with greater education may be able to recall a few more facts. Now, anyone can conduct a quick search to learn more about the current situation in Borneo and the price of grain in Kentucky as of this morning. Nowadays, everyone’s thinking is more fact-based and far less speculative. And of all effects, that is the best.

NO

Although using the Internet safely might be beneficial, most people do not do so these days. It is a vehicle for rapidly disseminating false information, fear, lies, and speculation under the guise of absolute truth. The common person lacks the critical thinking abilities required to separate all of that false information from reliable, accurate information. He is therefore affected by the ebbs and flows of online misinformation. To safeguard society from its misuse, he should be led and the Internet should be governed.

Also, people now gather and disseminate their perversions on the Internet. You may now find the most revolting things on the internet, including unlawful and immoral items like child pornography. This flagrant disregard for the rules of most nations must not be permitted. These perpetrators must be apprehended, their communications must be blocked from public view, and they must be located.

Unrest is also disseminated via the Internet. Take a look at countries like China, Iran, Egypt, and Australia, who already have to regulate the Internet for security reasons. Facebook and Twitter, two irresponsible social media platforms, contributed to Iran’s extreme civil turmoil and drove the populace into a frenzy. The Internet has fueled new addictions among young people in China and stoked discontent with the status quo. There may be serious starvation and death if too many people revolt against too many regimes at once. Individuals should exercise caution while objecting against but the Internet does not advocate for that.

CONCLUSION

It is up to us as a society to determine if the advantages of a new technology exceed the disadvantages. Every new technology has both positive and bad impacts. Here, we’ve made an effort to do this. Hence, below, we’ll list our conclusions.

A fully approved online degree is now conceivable because to the many changes the internet has brought to education. With the advent of online and hybrid programmes, students now have the tools for both success and failure. Nonetheless, despite all the drawbacks we have outlined, the positive influence has been the most significant. A decision has that effect. As there are now more than just the two alternatives from the past, pupils can choose their career thanks to the internet. student permission. A crucial development in our society has been allowing people to select the educational path that is best for them.

Art has a significant role in defining a culture, and the internet has significantly changed both how we consume media and how producers distribute their work. Because all of their works, not just those that are deemed relevant or attractive, are published on the web, artists are encouraged to experiment and develop freely. The last nail in the coffin is that customers are being forced to watch this amateur material because media firms have stiffed them with weak intellectual property protections. Our culture is freer as a result of our media’s freedom, and it is clear that this has improved our lives.

However, it is more difficult to measure how the internet has affected our social lives. For extroverts, it can trivialise our in-person encounters and elevate communications to unhealthy levels. However, it can be a saving grace for introverts. Online communication can be a potent tool to improve communication skills and social comfort, particularly for those with social anxiety disorder and other diseases of a similar nature. We must thus conclude that the internet has had a generally good impact on our social lives.

We can infer that daily internet use has had a mainly favourable impact on our lives because it has benefited education , social connections and the media even though there are still challenges that this technology has brought for us.

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