Cyber laws in India and a closer look at the stream as a career
India has developed into one of the top countries in the number of internet users, being in the top 4 consistently for three years now. With the low-cost availability of the Internet in our country- a new platform for people to engage with each other, be more expressive, find more information and get creative has taken birth. In case you haven’t noticed yet all of those features factor in to give rise to crime. Yes, crime on the internet is real and it has been around just as long as the internet has been around. Turns out, when you give people constant access to information and other people while they can maintain their identity unanimous to some extent and still get to engage- they commit crimes. There are web-based scams and email fraud and people trying to harass others is all too common in the news these days.
To protect the citizens of a country not just against regular crimes but cyber crimes as well, cyber laws are in place and subsequent changes to the Indian Penal Code were made to facilitate these laws addressed in the Information Technology act, 2000. Cybercrime is very diverse and can be as small as simple banking fraud and online harassment to Terrorism and Massive International Ransomware and Virus attacks.
Cyber laws protect every individual as well as apply to every individual so as to even the playing field. Cyber Law management or more loosely a cyber lawyer has a lot more solid ground to set footing in as a result of this scenario. To be an effective cyber lawyer, the person needs to be very well versed in information technology fundamentals and keep up with the updating guidelines and market trends.
Educating yourself to turn into a Cyber Law Professional
Cyber Law management requires a very deep and dynamic understanding of technology and laws relating to how technology can be misused/used properly without causing harm to others. Telecommunication Laws, Copyright Law, Corporate Law and Intellectual Property Laws are also all very crucial to this job and thus the courses available in our colleges to pursue this stream are highly specialized and technical in their approach to cyber law. Bachelor’s, as well as Masters courses, are available in cyber law. For instance, B. Tech. (Computer Science Engineering) + LLB combined degree in cyber law can opt or at a higher (post-grad) level a Master’s in Science from Cyber Law and Information Security can be pursued. It all boils down to the individual candidate’s abilities and requirements.
Diploma in Cyber Law, Diploma in Cyber Laws and Information Technology, Post Graduate Diploma in Cyber Law, Post Graduate Diploma in Cyber Law & Ethics (PGDCE), Post Graduate Diploma in Cyber Law & Information Security (PGDCIS), Post Graduate Diploma in Cyber Law & Intellectual Property Rights, Post Graduate Diploma in Cybercrime & e-Commerce Law (PGDCEL), etc. are some popular course to consider along with distance learning programs and MOOCs directed towards people that want to add cyberlaw as a skill to their repertoire and aren’t fully sold on this as a career yet. The average fees for these courses stand at about 50 thousand rupees per annum.
Career prospects in India
After proper education and training, the candidates will be prepared to face the rigorous hiring process for cyber law professionals. There are a plethora of directions to head in for people in this line of work as police departments, IT firms, Corporate Offices, Network Administration and Security Auditors all require a knowledge of cyber law or someone that can manage that aspect of the job for them.
Cybersecurity Manager, Cybersecurity Analyst, Cybersecurity Specialist, Information Systems (IT) Manager, Information Technology/Software Trainer, Systems Analyst, etc. are some entry to mid-level experience job profiles that seem to be popular in recent times.
The average salary of an entry-level job profile such as Cyber Law Analyst are in the range of 2 to 5LPA, it does have a slow career progression as the Laws aren’t seeing very rapid change, but the industry being as dynamic as it is, higher-paying job profiles like IT Security Manager, Cyber Law Auditor and Cyber Law Manager can get you anywhere from 6 to 8.5LPA. The career prospects of cyberlaw management are decent in India.
