Introduction
In the last few decades, a considerable increase in technological advancements could be seen, affecting the lives of individuals in all spheres of life. This transformational change has made the nation the fastest-growing digital economy, with smartphones, telecommunications, and digital platforms dominating the mundane errands. However, it has also created some unseen and unheard challenges, making it necessary to unveil the obscured and peer behind the façade.
Source- Blog-Humanize IT
Digitalization and the Public Sphere
The digital technology affects the public sphere more than we realize. The public sphere is a place that provides the space for individuals to express their opinions without faltering and engage with different thoughts. The best way to access the health of the public sphere is by analyzing how the political content is produced through political campaigns and how individuals consume it.
The political sphere has significantly changed with the advancement of technologies. The digitalization has democratized the access of databases, resulting in the framing of messages that align with individuals’ ideologies. Several firms collect the information about the individuals through data mining, surveys, and spyware and market this information at relatively high prices, which affects the political sphere. The consultants and political firms use this data to tailor messages according to the individual’s choices. The tailoring of messages according to the past preferences of individuals may reinforce the existing belief, limiting the exposure of individuals to diverse perspectives. This surveillance of individual activities violates the privacy of the individual.
Deepfake challenges
In addition, other unseen problems, such as deepfake videos, significantly impact the political realm and create havoc. The deepfake videos can be used by the opposing party for their own advantage by molding the statements of political leaders, creating confusion and instant damage.
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Cyber Safe India
For a cyber secure India, the government has established various frameworks, departments, ministries, and agencies to reduce the cyber crimes. The Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology oversees the formation of cyber law and policies related to IT and electronics. The government brought three criminal laws to update India’s legal system in relation to changing dynamics due to digitalization. These laws are the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; the Bharatiiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.
These laws have modernized the FIR registration and the evidence handling. It allows electronic registration of FIRs, making the process more accessible and efficient. There has been a shift in the handling of evidence; the earlier laws considered electronic devices as secondary evidence, but under the new laws, the electronic devices are recognized as primary evidence.
Challenges and Privacy Concerns
While the amendments aim to modernize the existing laws in response to digitalization, they also create some challenges and privacy concerns that must not be overlooked. A significant challenge will be maintaining the integrity of electronic evidence, as it can be subjected to the risk of evidence tampering. The government should ensure it safeguards the data collected during these processes. The balance should be created between the efficiency of the legal system and the protection of individual privacy rights, ensuring that the personal data is secure and used responsibly.
