CONFERENCE COMMITTEE 

The role of technological advancements in shaping a society is in no way less than the role played by laws in social engineering. Information Technology is the new age methodology of using computers and the internet to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data, or information, often in the context of a business or other enterprise. Information Technology is considered a subset of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and lays a foundation for the idea of Legaltech. Legaltech is a term used to describe a wide variety of technological innovations in the legal field. Legaltech can be used to solve many problems that were previously impossible to solve due to the vast amount of data or the complexity of the issues. However, it is not a cure-all. It is best implemented in fields where the problems are well defined and there are set processes and rules. The biggest change that technology is going to bring about will come from improved access and affordability. From a legaltech perspective, lawyers and technologists should see legaltech as a tool to help them meet their clients’ needs in a more efficient and productive way. The unparalleled use of internet in our day-to-day lives also led to misuse of internet like data theft, illegal personation, interference with privacy, cybercrimes etc., which necessitated the introduction of an Information Technology Act, growth of Cybercrime Investigation and Cyber Forensics. Cybercrime Investigation is the process of the investigation, analysis, and retrieval of vital forensic digital evidence from networks engaged in an attack-possibly the Internet and/or a local network-to identify digital crime writers and their planned motives. Cybercrime may require the investigation of social media accounts and the collection and interpretation of digital media. Cybercrime attacks on both individuals and corporations require departments to conduct cybercrime investigations into breaches, fraud, and theft committed electronically. The investigation of cybercrime faces certain peculiar challenges, such as the question of geographical decision-making, jurisdiction, the inadequacy of legislation, invasion of privacy during an investigation, and a lack of suitable investigative infrastructure. These are issues of concern for almost all investigative agencies around the world. This National Conference aims to highlight the challenges encountered during cybercrime investigations. Cyber Forensics is a branch of forensic science that focuses on locating, retrieving, processing, analyzing, and reporting electronically stored data. The main purpose of digital forensics is to capture data from electronic evidence, process it into actionable intelligence and present what is found for investigation. All processes use sound forensic methods to ensure that evidence is acceptable in court. Electronic evidence is an integral part of almost all criminal behavior and digital forensics support is crucial for law enforcement investigations. Electronic evidence can be gathered from a variety of sources, such as computers, smartphones, remote storage, unmanned aerial systems, cruise equipment, and more. However, the field of digital forensics is very nascent in India. In Ravinder Singh @ Kaku v State of Punjab decided on May 4, 2022, the Supreme Court observed that the certificate under Section 65B(4) of the Evidence Act is mandatory to produce electronic evidence and that the oral evidence in the place of such certificate cannot possibly suffice. In a United Nations General Assembly committee, India voted in favor of a cybercrime proposal led by Russia. The resolution seeks to establish new cyber rules as an alternative to the US-backed Budapest Accord. This National Conference delves into the question of whether the existing legal framework in India is sufficient to govern cybercrime investigations. As per the report published by National Crime Records Bureau (Table 9B.3), personal revenge, anger, fraud, extortion, causing disrepute, prank, sexual exploitation, political motives, terrorist activities, inciting hate against the country, disrupt public service, sale, and purchase of illegal drugs, spreading privacy, psycho or pervert, steal information, abetment to suicide was the cybercrime motives across the country. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has launched a portal named ‘National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal’. This portal is an initiative of the Government of India to facilitate victims/complainants to report cyber-crime complaints online. This portal caters to complaints pertaining to cyber-crimes only with special focus on cyber-crimes against women and children. The aim of this National Conference is to bring together some of the leading stakeholders to dutifully participate in such deliberations, therefore getting an insight into the ramifications of the process and learning how it operates in reality. This year the National Conference Committee has a spectacular opportunity to collaborate with TechConPro Pt Ltd, experts in the field of technological solutions.