OTT platforms has made our lives easy, but in turn some people have made their lives a tad easy.
Many people provide fake documents to avail a mobile SIM card or create an account on over-the-top (OTT) platforms. Other apps which are abused include WhatsApp, Telegram.
One Year Jail or Rs 50,000 Fine
However as per the Indian Telecommunication Bill 2022, doing so henceforth, will invite one year in jail or a fine up to Rs 50,000.
In the draft bill, the Department of Communications said that “This will help in preventing cyber frauds done using telecom services. Therefore, provisions related to identity have been included in the Bill at relevant places”.
It is due to the widespread problem of online identity fraud that the provision in the draft bill has been incorporated.
The report also said that under Section 4, sub-section 7 requires telecom users to declare their real identity. This has been defined as a cognisable offence failing which means a police officer can arrest the violator without a warrant and start the investigation with the court’s order.
New Bill to Tackle Cyber Fraud
As per the Minister for Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw “The new Bill will tackle the situation of cyber fraud head-on and address it upfront, in not just one but multiple dimensions. The obligation of KYC, ensuring duties on the users, including various modes of calls, in the draft telecom Bill, and I strongly believe that with the implementation of this bill”.
This draft bill which has been introduced by the Department of Telecommunications in order to replace the existing legal framework governing the sector in India.
Three laws currently governing the telecom industry – the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950 have been consolidated by the bill.
[…] Source link […]