Professional sites hit by cyber crime

Priyanka (name changed) was in for a shock recently when she logged into her LinkedIn account. She had received a thread of messages from someone named Dr Arjun Pandey, Head of Research and Development at the Sajjan India Limited. The man had sent her increasingly lewd messages on the network meant for professionals.

Speaking to DNA, Priyanka revealed that she did not file an FIR against the man since she had no faith in the system. "Filing a complaint against the man will be very troublesome for me. I would be making multiple trips to the police station while taking care of my family. I'm not even sure whether the cops would be able to help," she said.

"If I take any action against this man, my own career might be affected. I am not losing my fire but I have lost faith in the system," she added.

From homes to workplaces to streets to the internet, harassment seems to have become a of part of women's lives. The advancement in technology has opened up new avenues where women can be victimised, even on professional networking sites.

Section 67 under the IT Act of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) deals with publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form, material containing sexually explicit acts, material depicting children in sexually explicit acts, and preservation and retention of information by intermediaries.