Lawgist43Penalty and compensation for damage to computer, computer system, etc
1[43. 2 [Penalty and compensation] for damage to computer, computer system, etc.--If any person without permission of the owner or any other person who is in charge of a computer, computer system or computer network,--
(a) accesses or secures access to such computer, computer system or computer network 3 [or computer resource];
(b) downloads, copies or extracts any data, computer data base or information from such computer, computer system or computer network including information or data held or stored in any removable storage medium;
(c) introduces or causes to be introduced any computer contaminant or computer virus into any computer, computer system or computer network;
(d) damages or causes to be damaged any computer, computer system or computer network, data, computer data base or any other programmes residing in such computer, computer system or computer network;
(e) disrupts or causes disruption of any computer, computer system or computer network;
(f) denies or causes the denial of access to any person authorised to access any computer, computer system or computer network by any means;
(g) provides any assistance to any person to facilitate access to a computer, computer system or computer network in contravention of the provisions of this Act, rules or regulations made thereunder;
(h) charges the services availed of by a person to the account of another person by tampering with or manipulating any computer, computer system, or computer network;
4 [(i) destroys, deletes or alters any information residing in a computer resource or diminishes its value or utility or affects it injuriously by any means;
(j) steal, conceal, destroys or alters or causes any person to steal, conceal, destroy or alter any computer source code used for a computer resource with an intention to cause damage;]
5 [he shall be liable to pay damages by way of compensation to the person so affected.]
Explanation.--For the purposes of this section,--
(i) "computer contaminant" means any set of computer instructions that are designed--
(a) to modify, destroy, record, transmit data or programme residing within a computer, computer system or computer network; or
(b) by any means to usurp the normal operation of the computer, computer system, or computer network;
(ii) "computer data-base" means a representation of information, knowledge, facts, concepts or instructions in text, image, audio, video that are being prepared or have been prepared in a formalised manner or have been produced by a computer, computer system or computer network and are intended for use in a computer, computer system or computer network;
(iii) "computer virus" means any computer instruction, information, data or programme that destroys, damages, degrades or adversely affects the performance of a computer resource or attaches itself to another computer resource and operates when a programme, data or instruction is executed or some other event takes place in that computer resource;
(iv) "damage" means to destroy, alter, delete, add, modify or rearrange any computer resource by any means.
4 [(v) "computer source code" means the listing of programme, computer commands, design and layout and programme analysis of computer resource in any form.]
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1Subs. by Act 10 of 2009, s. 20, for "PENALTIES AND ADJUDICATION" (w.e.f. 27-10-2009).
2. Subs. by s. 21, ibid., for "Penalty" (w.e.f. 27-10-2009).
3. Ins. by s. 21, ibid. (w.e.f. 27-10-2009).
4 Ins. by Act 10 of 2009, s. 21 (w.e.f. 27-10-2009).
5Subs. by s. 21, ibid., for certain words (w.e.f. 27-10-2009).
- 1 Short title, extent, commencement and application
- 2 Definitions
- 3 Authentication of electronic records
- 3A Electronic signature
- 4 Legal recognition of electronic records
- 5 Legal recognition of electronic signatures
- 6 Use of electronic records and electronic signatures in Government and its agencies
- 6A Delivery of services by service provider
- 7 Retention of electronic records
- 7A Audit of documents, etc., maintained in electronic form
- 8 Publication of rule, regulation, etc., in Electronic Gazette
- 9 Sections 6, 7 and 8 not to confer right to insist document should be accepted in electronic form
- 10 Power to make rules by Central Government in respect of electronic signature
- 10A Validity of contracts formed through electronic means
- 11 Attribution of electronic records
- 12 Acknowledgment of receipt
- 13 Time and place of despatch and receipt of electronic record
- 14 Secure electronic record
- 15 Secure electronic signature
- 16 Security procedures and practices
- 17 Appointment of Controller and other officers
- 18 Functions of Controller
- 19 Recognition of foreign Certifying Authorities
- 20 [Omitted.]
- 21 Licence to issue electronic signature Certificates
- 22 Application for licence
- 23 Renewal of licence
- 24 Procedure for grant or rejection of licence
- 25 Suspension of licence
- 26 Notice of suspension or revocation of licence
- 27 Power to delegate
- 28 Power to investigate contraventions
- 29 Access to computers and data
- 30 Certifying Authority to follow certain procedures
- 31 Certifying Authority to ensure compliance of the Act, etc
- 32 Display of licence
- 33 Surrender of licence
- 34 Disclosure
- 35 Certifying authority to issue electronic signature Certificate
- 36 Representations upon issuance of Digital signature Certificate
- 37 Suspension of Digital Signature Certificate
- 38 Revocation of Digital Signature Certificate
- 39 Notice of suspension or revocation
- 40 Generating key pair
- 40A Duties of subscriber of Electronic Signature Certificate
- 41 Acceptance of Digital Signature Certificate
- 42 Control of private key
- 43 Penalty and compensation for damage to computer, computer system, etc
- 43A Compensation for failure to protect data
- 44 Penalty for failure to furnish information, return, etc
- 45 Residuary penalty
- 46 Power to adjudicate
- 47 Factors to be taken into account by the adjudicating officer
- 48 Appellate Tribunal
- 49 [Omitted.]
- 50 [Omitted.]
- 51 [Omitted.]
- 52 [Omitted.]
- 52A [Omitted.]
- 52B [Omitted.]
- 52C [Omitted.]
- 52D Decision by majority
- 53 [Omitted.]
- 54 [Omitted.]
- 55 Orders constituting Appellate Tribunal to be final and not to invalidate its proceedings
- 56 [Omitted.]
- 57 Appeal to Appellate Tribunal
- 58 Procedure and powers of the Appellate Tribunal
- 59 Right to legal representation
- 60 Limitation
- 61 Civil court not to have jurisdiction
- 62 Appeal to High Court
- 63 Compounding of contraventions
- 64 Recovery of penalty or compensation
- 65 Tampering with computer source documents
- 66 Computer related offences
- 66A Punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc
- 66B Punishment for dishonestly receiving stolen computer resource or communication device
- 66C Punishment for identity theft
- 66D Punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource
- 66E Punishment for violation of privacy
- 66F Punishment for cyber terrorism
- 67 Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form
- 67A Punishment for publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic form
- 67B Punishment for publishing or transmitting of material depicting children in sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic form
- 67C Preservation and retention of information by intermediaries
- 68 Power of Controller to give directions
- 69 Power to issue directions for interception or monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource
- 69A Power to issue directions for blocking for public access of any information through any computer resource
- 69B Power to authorise to monitor and collect traffic data or information through any computer resource for cyber security
- 70 Protected system
- 70A National nodal agency
- 70B Indian Computer Emergency Response Team to serve as national agency for incident response
- 71 Penalty for misrepresentation
- 72 Penalty for Breach of confidentiality and privacy
- 72A Punishment for disclosure of information in breach of lawful contract
- 73 Penalty for publishing electronic signature Certificate false in certain particulars
- 74 Publication for fraudulent purpose
- 75 Act to apply for offence or contravention committed outside India
- 76 Confiscation
- 77 Compensation, penalties or confiscation not to interfere with other punishment
- 77A Compounding of offences
- 77B Offences with three years imprisonment to be bailable
- 78 Power to investigate offences
- 79 Exemption from liability of intermediary in certain cases
- 79A Central Government to notify Examiner of Electronic Evidence
- 80 Power of police officer and other officers to enter, search, etc
- 81 Act to have overriding effect
- 81A Application of the Act to electronic cheque and truncated cheque
- 82 Controller, Deputy Controller and Assistant Controller to be public servants
- 83 Power to give directions
- 84 Protection of action taken in good faith
- 84A Modes or methods for encryption
- 84B Punishment for abetment of offences
- 84C Punishment for attempt to commit offences
- 85 Offences by companies
- 86 Removal of difficulties
- 87 Power of Central Government to make rules
- 88 Constitution of Advisory Committee
- 89 Power of Controller to make regulations
- 90 Power of State Government to make rules
- 91 [Omitted.]
- 92 [Omitted.]
- 93 [Omitted.]
- 94 [Omitted.]
