Future Tech

India needs to get a grip on online harassment, police not helpful

India’s attempts to curb online harassment are developing a reputation for lethargy. Since the Information Technology Act was introduced in 2000 there has been only one conviction for cyber-stalking, which took place earlier this year.

The BBC went on to cite police reluctance to deal with such crimes as a major source of the problem, one victim told them, “They say it’s very difficult to track down the abusers, and it’s not worth it. Then they tell you, be careful, don’t get out of your house. Okay, then what are the cops there for, if I have to hide at home and look after myself?”

There are five separate laws which can be used to prosecute online harassment, and the conviction earlier this year was made by tracking the IP address of the aggressor. One is tempted speculate at the level of police reluctance which must be running counter to enforcement in order to produce such poor results.

Last year a report was conducted by the Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC), which Wired reported as having found that “both law enforcement agencies and social media platforms were deemed ill-equipped to handle cases of online harassment. Many also did not see the point in reporting a profile, given the ease with which another one can take its place within a matter minutes. And when approaching the police, there was often little understanding on how social media works.”

In fairness, online harassment is a problem around the globe, with many legal entities and tech companies engaged in an ongoing, iterative process of trying to clamp down on it without hindering the experience of well-meaning users. The issue has got to the point where private companies like Smart Moderation are setting up shop just to deal with the issue of online harassment.

This debate will, I’m sure, continue for some time yet. But there is a difference between the discussion in established and developed countries and the discussion in up-and-coming countries like India. If India is going to become one of the big, established players on the global tech scene it’s going to have to demonstrate it’s adequately equipped to be able to combat the potential social fallout inherent in a more “online society”.

Progress is being made with the passing of a privacy ruling by India’s Supreme Court. But there is a long way yet to go and a poor record on convicting harassment cases will not play in India’s favour on the world stage.

Ben Allen

Ben Allen is a traveler, a writer and a Brit. He worked in the London start-up world for a while but really prefers commenting on it than working in it. He has huge faith in the tech industry and enjoys talking and writing about the social issues inherent in it's development.

Recent Posts

M&A: The art of the deal

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent mergers and acquisitions within various tech ecosystems…

1 day ago

As we seek to create robots that’re more ‘human’ who’s helping? AI

As robotics progresses towards creating humanoid robot helpers, our tendency is to create them in…

4 days ago

Japan’s Web3 Strategy: A Safe Haven for Chinese Investors Fleeing Capital Controls?

On June 7, 2025, Japan enacted a series of regulations aimed at enabling stronger consumer protections…

4 days ago

Agentic AI Is Reshaping Data Infrastructure—Are Data Warehouses Obsolete?

Introduction: The Signal Behind Snowflake’s CEO Change In the spring of 2024, Snowflake, a star…

4 days ago

The new space race: How politics is shaping the battle for the final frontier

The modern space race is increasingly political, driven by national pride, military strategy, and economic…

5 days ago

Mind the B-Gap: India leads on digital inclusion, but affordability remains the next frontier for telco growth

Millions of would-be customers remain offline across Asia’s fastest-growing digital economies. This is not a…

6 days ago