Cyber Security Legal Framework in India – Overlaps, Problems and Challenges

Cybersecurity in India is governed by a complex legal framework designed to protect information infrastructure, secure data, and mitigate cyber threats. The increasing digitalization across sectors has amplified the need for robust cybersecurity laws. The legal framework is still evolving and continuous steps have been taken by the authorities to promulgate legislations as and when required as evidenced in the last decade. In this paper, we examine the evolving cybersecurity legal framework in India and highlight the major problems and challenges. We explore the major legislation that deals with cyber crimes, data privacy and protection. We also conduct a comparative analysis of the regulation in the USA, EU and India and explore the major weaknesses. We find that the present legal framework is still sub-optimal with a host of issues relating to coverage, awareness and implementation. We also find that the overlapping nature of various laws, regulations, and guidelines often leads to confusion and compliance challenges for stakeholders, making it imperative to understand their scope and interaction.