Lok Sabha Question No. 2731 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-10
Subject: Harassment of Women on Social Media
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Keshari Devi Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2731

TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.03.2021

## HARASSMENT OF WOMEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA

## 2731.    SHRIMATI KESHARI DEVI PATEL:

Will the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology be pleased to state:

- (a) the precautionary steps taken by the Government in view of increasing number of cases of harassment of women on social media;
- (b) the steps being taken by the Government for strengthening the cyber cell;
- (c) the number of accused persons against whom Government has taken action taking suo-motu cognizance for propagating obscenity on social media, State-wise;
- (d) the steps being taken by the Government to make the consumer aware about cyber crimes and to prevent the same; and
- (e) whether any monitoring mechanism has been developed by the Government to stop obscenity on social media so that action can be taken thereon within prescribed time limit and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)

(a)  to (e):  'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects as per the Constitution of India.  States/Union Territories (UT)  are primarily  responsible  for  prevention,  detection, investigation  and  prosecution  of  crimes including cyber crime through their law enforcement machinery. The Law Enforcement Agencies take legal action as per provisions of law against the criminals misusing the social media.

State-wise  data  for  cybercrime  against  women  as  maintained  and  reported  by  National  Crimes  Record  bureau  (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs is at Annexure.

Government has taken the following steps to tackle cyber crime against women and children:

- (1) The Information Technology Act, 2000 has provisions to deal with cyber crime against women and children. Sections 66E, 67, and 67A of the Act provides for the punishment and fine for breach of bodily privacy, publishing or transmitting of obscene/sexually-explicit material in electronic form. Further, section 354A & 354D of Indian Penal Code provide punishment for cyber bullying and cyber stalking.
- (2) The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, notified under the IT Act, specifies that the intermediaries shall inform the users of computer resource not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is, inter alia , obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, harmful to children in any way or violates any law for the time being in force, etc. The Rules provide for a  robust grievance redressal mechanism as also reporting and expeditious removal of content breaching bodily privacy, sexually explicit or morphed imagery of the individual concerned.
- (3) MeitY through a program, namely, Information Security Education & Awareness (ISEA), has been creating awareness among users including women, children, parents, etc. highlighting the importance of cyber safety & security.
- (4) An  exclusive  handbook  namely 'Information  Security  Awareness  handbook  for  Women',  'Cyber  Security  tips  for Women' and 'Online Safety tips for Women@Home during COVID 19' have been designed. The awareness content designed/developed exclusively for women have been made available for download on the website https://www.infosecawareness.in/women.
- (5) The Ministry of Home Affairs is implementing a Scheme namely, Cyber Crime Prevention against Women & Children (CCPWC) Scheme.
- (6) A National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) developed and operated by MHA provides for reporting of all cyber crimes and particularly the online content pertaining to Child Pornography/Child Sexual Abuse Material or sexually explicit content such as Rape/Gang Rape content.
- (7) National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) has been notified as an agency of Government of India to issue notices to intermediaries under section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act for removal of Child Pornography (CP), Rape & Gang Rape (RGR) content
- (8) Further, to strengthen the mechanism to deal with cyber crimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner, the Central Government  has  taken  steps  for  spreading  awareness  about  cyber  crimes;  issuance  of  alerts/advisories;  capacity building/training of law enforcement personnel/prosecutors/ judicial officers; improving cyber forensic facilities, etc.

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Annexure

| SL                  | CR 173 State/UT   |      |     |      |      |     |      | 2017   | 2017     | 2017   | 2017   | 2017   | 2017   | Womenduring 2017-2019   | Womenduring 2017-2019   | Womenduring 2017-2019   | Womenduring 2017-2019   | Womenduring 2017-2019   |
|---------------------|-------------------|------|-----|------|------|-----|------|--------|----------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| SL                  | CR 173 State/UT   | CCS  | CON | PAR  | PCS  | PCV | CR   | CCS    | CON 2018 | PAR    | PCS    | PCV    | CR     | CCS                     | CON 2019                | PAR                     | PCS                     | PCV                     |
| 1 Andhra            | Pradesh           | 39   | 0   | 64   | 36   | 0   | 217  | 90     | 2        | 107    | 121    | 2      | 356    | 76                      | 10                      | 109                     | 100                     | 10                      |
| 2 Arunachal Pradesh | 0                 | 0    | 0   | 0    | 0    | 0   | 1    | 0      | 0        | 0      | 0      | 0      | 5      | 0                       | 0                       | 1                       | 0                       | 0                       |
| 3 Assam             |                   | 78   | 0   | 450  | 343  | 0   | 670  | 63     | 0        | 552    | 69     | 0      | 703    | 112                     | 0                       | 495                     | 114                     | 0                       |
| 4 Bihar             | 379 36            | 13   | 0   | 37   | 13   | 0   | 14   | 7      | 0        | 7      | 7      | 0      | 60     | 3                       | 0                       | 4                       | 4                       | 0                       |
| 5 Chhattisgarh      | 89                | 52   | 9   | 66   | 65   | 9   | 64   | 57     | 2        | 68     | 67     | 2      | 85     | 56                      | 8                       | 73                      | 69                      | 9                       |
| 6 Goa               | 9                 | 0    | 0   | 0    | 0    | 0   | 21   | 1      | 0        | 3      | 1      | 0      | 5      | 15                      | 0                       | 0                       | 16                      | 0                       |
| 7 Gujarat           | 94                | 59   | 0   | 83   | 87   | 0   | 184  | 113    | 0        | 154    | 154    | 0      | 226    | 189                     | 0                       | 269                     | 263                     | 0                       |
| 8 Haryana           | 79                | 33   | 1   | 56   | 47   | 1   | 112  | 54     | 0        | 79     | 72     | 0      | 251    | 95                      | 4                       | 130                     | 115                     | 5                       |
| 9 Himachal Pradesh  | 30                | 4    | 0   | 14   | 5    | 0   | 52   | 18     | 0        | 17     | 19     | 0      | 47     | 16                      | 0                       | 42                      | 19                      | 0                       |
| 10 Jammu & Kashmir  | 13                | 1    | 0   | 4    | 1    | 0   | 23   | 6      | 0        | 9      | 9      | 0      | 14     | 5                       | 0                       | 6                       | 6                       | 0                       |
| 11 Jharkhand        | 26                | 12   | 0   | 12   | 12   | 0   | 13   | 0      | 0        | 0      | 0      | 0      | 43     | 11                      | 0                       | 5                       | 12                      | 0                       |
| 12 Karnataka        | 729               | 25   | 0   | 62   | 30   | 0   | 1374 | 31     | 0        | 70     | 41     | 0      | 2698   | 32                      | 0                       | 72                      | 46                      | 0                       |
| 13 Kerala           |                   | 57   | 0   | 88   | 67   | 0   | 160  | 77     | 1        | 123    | 97     | 1      | 139    | 61                      | 0                       | 106                     | 81                      | 0                       |
| 14 Madhya Pradesh   | 126 192           | 159  | 3   | 215  | 131  | 3   | 276  | 184    | 3        | 237    | 239    | 5      | 301    | 331                     | 4                       | 387                     | 395                     | 5                       |
| 15 Maharashtra      | 1119              | 280  | 9   | 525  | 326  | 9   | 1262 | 461    | 6        | 821    | 589    | 7      | 1503   | 517                     | 5                       | 756                     | 652                     | 19                      |
| 16 Manipur          | 27                | 0    | 0   | 22   | 0    | 0   | 9    | 0      | 0        | 2      | 0      | 0      | 2      | 0                       | 0                       | 1                       | 0                       | 0                       |
| 17 Meghalaya        |                   | 1    | 0   | 1    | 1    | 0   | 32   | 0      | 0        | 1      | 0      | 0      | 21     | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       |
| 18 Mizoram          | 6 4               | 3    | 0   | 4    | 3    | 0   | 4    | 0      | 0        | 2      | 0      | 0      | 2      | 1                       | 0                       | 1                       | 1                       | 0                       |
| 19 Nagaland         | 0                 | 0    | 0   | 0    | 0    | 0   | 2    | 1      | 0        | 2      | 1      | 0      | 1      | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       |
| 20 Odisha           | 62                | 9    | 0   | 9    | 9    | 0   | 228  | 88     | 0        | 107    | 106    | 0      | 437    | 118                     | 0                       | 205                     | 220                     | 0                       |
| 21 Punjab           | 61                | 16   | 1   | 51   | 18   | 1   | 97   | 30     | 1        | 100    | 34     | 1      | 87     | 31                      | 1                       | 84                      | 42                      | 1                       |
| 22 Rajasthan        | 89                | 30   | 0   | 57   | 57   | 0   | 116  | 39     | 0        | 47     | 47     | 0      | 188    | 80                      | 3                       | 104                     | 111                     | 3                       |
| 23 Sikkim           | 0                 | 0    | 0   | 0    | 0    | 0   | 1    | 1      | 0        | 1      | 1      | 0      | 1      | 0                       | 0                       | 1                       | 0                       | 0                       |
| 24 Tamil Nadu       | 53                | 20   | 0   | 27   | 20   | 0   | 77   | 38     | 2        | 85     | 57     | 2      | 124    | 30                      | 1                       | 93                      | 36                      | 1                       |
| 25 Telangana        | 196               | 70   | 0   | 120  | 80   | 0   | 336  | 76     | 0        | 183    | 128    | 0      | 288    | 340                     | 1                       | 140                     | 362                     | 1                       |
| 26 Tripura          | 1                 | 0    | 0   | 2    | 0    | 0   | 5    | 0      | 0        | 1      | 0      | 0      | 3      | 1                       | 0                       | 0                       | 1                       | 0                       |
| 27 Uttar Pradesh    | 265               | 95   | 5   | 171  | 142  | 6   | 340  | 183    | 4        | 331    | 260    | 6      | 518    | 312                     | 12                      | 454                     | 405                     | 14                      |
| 28 Uttarakhand      | 30                | 27   | 0   | 28   | 30   | 0   | 78   | 29     | 2        | 31     | 34     | 3      | 28     | 11                      | 0                       | 10                      | 11                      | 0                       |
| 29 West Bengal      | 270               | 51   | 0   | 61   | 48   | 0   | 170  | 95     | 0        | 106    | 96     | 0      | 170    | 95                      | 0                       | 106                     | 96                      | 0                       |
| TOTAL STATE(S)      | 4158              | 1134 | 28  | 2229 | 1571 | 29  | 5938 | 1742   | 23       | 3246   | 2249   | 29     | 8306   | 2538                    | 49                      | 3654                    | 3177                    | 68                      |
| 30 A&NIslands       | 2                 | 1    | 0   | 1    | 1    | 0   | 5    | 0      | 0        | 0      | 0      | 0      | 2      | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       |
| 31 Chandigarh       | 5                 | 3    | 0   | 3    | 4    | 0   | 5    | 4      | 1        | 4      | 4      | 1      | 13     | 1                       | 2                       | 7                       | 1                       | 2                       |
| 32 D&NHaveli        | 1                 | 1    | 0   | 1    | 1    | 0   | 0    | 0      | 0        | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       |                         | 0                       |
| 33 Daman & Diu      | 0                 | 0    | 0   | 0    | 0    | 0   | 0    | 0      | 0        | 0      | 0      | 0      | 2      | 0                       | 0                       | 1                       | 0 0                     | 0                       |
| 34 Delhi            | 76                | 20   | 2   | 38   |      |     |      |        |          | 72     | 17     |        | 56     | 12                      | 0                       | 32                      | 17                      | 0                       |
| 35 Lakshadweep      | 0                 | 0    |     | 0    | 23   | 2   | 79   | 15     | 0        | 2      |        | 0      | 0      | 0                       |                         | 0 0                     | 0                       | 0                       |
| 36 Puducherry       | 0                 | 0    | 0 0 | 0    | 0 0  | 0 0 | 3 0  | 0 0    | 0 0      | 0      | 0 0    | 0 0    | 0      | 0 13                    | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       |
| TOTAL UT(S)         | 84                | 25   | 2   | 43   | 29   | 2   | 92   | 19     | 24       | 78     | 21     | 1      | 73     |                         | 2 51                    | 40 3694                 | 18                      | 2                       |
| TOTAL (ALL INDIA)   | 4242              | 1159 | 30  | 2272 | 1600 | 31  | 6030 | 1761   | 1        | 3324   | 2270   | 30     | 8379   | 2551                    |                         |                         | 3195                    | 70                      |