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What the IT Bill means to you

The Information Technology Bill, 1999 is a great achievement and a remarkable step ahead in the right direction, says a paper on IT Bill 1999 called 'What does it mean for the corporate sector' prepared by CII Cyberlaws.net.

The paper states this bill opens up to India the vast possibilities of e-commerce by giving recognition to transactions carried out through means of electronic interchange. The bill also allows alternatives to a paper-based method of communication and storage of information.

Cyberlaws.net then goes on to outline several implication of the IT Bill for corporates in India.

First, corporates will need to be more careful while writing e-mails,

whether outside the company or within, as e-mail will now be a valid and legal form of communication which can be produced in a court of law.

Even intra-company notes and memos will also be coming within the ambit of the IT Bill and will be admissible as evidence in a court of law.

Companies will now be able to carry out electronic commerce in a big way, as the bill provides the necessary legal infrastructure for e-commerce. The bill recognises digital signatures, and so transactions can now be carried out online. Till now, the growth of electronic commerce was impeded because there was no legal infrastructure to regulate commercial transactions online.

The bill also provides corporates with a new opportunity -- that of being certifying authorities for issuing digital signatures certificates. This will become a large business opportunity in the near-future.

The bill enables companies to file documents with government bodies in electronic form, provided norms prescribed by the government are followed. India is rapidly moving ahead in the field of electronic governance and it will not be long before governments start taking applications or issuing licences, permits, sanctions, approvals, etc online.

This provision will result in great saving of cost and time for corporate India.

The IT Bill enables corporates to retain valuable and corporate information in electronic form. This will streamline the process of maintaining information greatly, and will also reduce costs of maintaining information.

Corporates in India can now breath a sigh of relief as the IT Bill has defined various cyber crimes and declared them penal offences punishable with imprisonment and fine. The bill has provided for Indian corporates a statutory remedy in case someone breaks into their computer systems or network and causes damages or copies data. A strong legal framework for dealing with electronic transaction related security issues is essential for spurring growth of e-economics, and the IT Bill has been commended for dealing with this issue extensively.

Cyberlaws.net, however, point out that implementation of the bill is still a concern. The bill purports to be applicable not only to offences committed in India, but also to offences committed outside India.

However, it is not clear how the bill will apply outside India.

Overall, IT Bill is a historical first step taken by the government, and hopefully India can leapfrog ahead in the field of e-economics now that an enabling legal framework is available, states Cyberlaws net.

UNI

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