Cyber misconduct going out of control

Over the past two decades, no technology has influenced our personal and social lives more than the mobile phone. Although mobile phones were introduced in India in July 1995, their impact grew far beyond expectations with the arrival of social media platforms. What began as a communication tool has now become a source of serious privacy concerns. Today, people live under the constant gaze of social media and, at times, hidden surveillance. Personal privacy is increasingly being violated. No one can predict when their face, body, or private conversations might be secretly recorded, altered, or shared online for the world to see. While technology has brought many benefits, some people choose to use it only for harmful purposes. They misuse mobile phones to capture and spread inappropriate content without consent. Despite the growing number of such incidents, there are still no strong enough legal measures to effectively stop or punish those who invade the privacy of others in this way.

The other day, Kerala's Minister for Women and Child Development, Bindu Krishna, shared a disturbing personal experience she faced while attending a higher secondary school admission event in Kollam earlier this month. The minister revealed that a teacher secretly filmed a video focusing only on her body, leaving out her face, and uploaded it to social media. She expressed grave concern over the incident, asking how safe ordinary women and girls could be if even a minister could be subjected to such behaviour at a public event. Her concern closely reflects the anxiety of the general public. Privacy is a fundamental human right, and its violation can be fought legally. However, when a person’s self-respect is deeply wounded and they are subjected to public humiliation, experience shows that many choose the tragic path of suicide rather than pursue legal action.

Fraud, blackmail, and threats carried out through mobile phones are increasing every day, and the number of reported cases continues to rise. Kerala now ranks third in the country for high rates of cybercrimes. However, the misuse of social media to harass, shame, and destroy a person's dignity is not something that can be treated as just another criminal case. It is a serious social problem that goes far beyond the legal system. What assurance does a woman have that the person sitting opposite her on a train is not secretly taking her picture? How can anyone be certain that they are not surrounded by sick-minded people who zoom their cameras into parts of the body exposed while walking or sitting, only to share those images on social media for cheap entertainment?

It is true that the definitions of privacy, decency, and morality have changed over time. However, this does not grant anyone a license to point a camera at another person’s body or life, and then share those visuals for amusement. Following her own distressing experience, Minister Bindu Krishna recently stated that steps will be taken to monitor privacy violations in online media and to prevent violence against women proactively. In this matter, it is not just the Department of Women and Child Development that needs to act; the Home Department must also take strict measures. When instances of mobile-based privacy violations or indecent filming are noticed, the general public must respond strongly. Those who aim their cameras at another person’s body must also ask themselves: "What right do I have to do this?"