KOCHI: With internet access getting widespread, a major point of concern is the rising number of child pornography cases in Kerala. Besides, the state also witnessed an increase in social media bullying in 2021. As many as 936 cybercrime cases were registered in the state last year, compared to 593 in 2020 and 440 in 2019.
Already, 92 such cases had been registered till February 15 this year in the state. However, the major concern is regarding the increasing number of cases related to the creation, publishing and sharing of child pornography in the state.
In 2021, 176 cases related to child pornography were registered in Kerala, whereas 106 and 44 such cases were registered in 2020 and 2019, respectively. As many as 18 such cases have been registered by the police so far this year. The state police are now using cyber-surveillance software sourced from Interpol to track online child pornography.
“Kerala Police’s Operation P-Hunt led to the detection of several child pornography cases and arrests in the state. However, there are still several addicted persons who download and circulate child pornographic content through the dark web. There were dedicated Telegram groups, in which people from the state were members, circulating porn pictures and videos of children. We could manage to take out several such groups. We are closely following several groups and persons involved in the heinous crime,” an officer of High Tech Cell said.
Advocate Jiyas Jamal, a cyber expert and founder of NGO Cyber Suraksha Foundation, said awareness among the public is the need of the hour. “In India, internet users lack awareness about what is legal and illegal to watch. Even the persons arrested in child pornography cases believe that they had not committed any serious crime. One of the reasons behind this is that very few persons are getting convicted in cybercrime cases like child pornography. There are several loopholes in the IT Act,” he said.
Similarly, the incidents of cyberbullying through social media are also on the rise in the state. As many as 168 such cases were registered in Kerala in 2021, compared to 122 in 2020 and 88 in 2019. This year, 13 cases of cyberbullying leading to serious consequences have already been registered in the state.
“Though there are offices and representatives of social media platforms in India, they are often slow to respond to reported incidents of social media abuse. We are familiar with a number of cases in which social media platforms took months to take down posts even after being reported abusive by users. Even if a complainant registers a police case, he/she has to wait till the court decides whether the content is abusive or not. As the internet usage is increasing, our system should be adapted to tackle increasing cybercrimes,” Jiyas said.
Cases of child pornography spiked hugely last year
Officials blame flaws in IT Act, slow response by social media platforms to complaints
Lack of awareness among public regarding cybercrimes also cited as reason
Worrying affairs
The police is using cyber-surveillance software sourced from Interpol to track online child pornography in the state. “There are still several addicted persons who download and circulate child pornographic content through the dark web. There were dedicated Telegram groups circulating such contents,” said an officer.