Section 67: Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form
Definition:
Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000, specifically addresses the issue of obscenity in electronic media.
According to this section:
'Whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form, any material which is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest, or if its effect is such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it, shall be punished.'
Examples:
Publishing Pornographic Content: If an individual uploads or shares pornographic videos or images on websites, social media or through messaging platforms, they could be prosecuted under Section 67.
Transmission of Sexually Explicit Messages: Sending explicit sexual messages, images, or videos via email, messaging apps like WhatsApp, or social media could lead to charges under this section.
Sharing Inappropriate Memes or Jokes: Sharing or forwarding memes, jokes, or images that are sexually explicit and could corrupt the minds of the receivers is also punishable under this section.
Hosting Obscene Content on a Website: If a person runs a website that hosts or distributes obscene material, they are liable under this section.
