CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOCIAL NETWORKING CRIMES: EMERGING LEGAL CHALLENGES IN THE DIGITAL ERA

AUTHOR – BABY ZOENGPUII* & PROF. DR ARUN KUMAR SINGH**

* LL.M. THE ICFAI UNIVERSITY, DEHRADUN

** PROFESSOR, ICFAI LAW SCHOOL, THE ICFAI UNIVERSITY DEHRADUN

BEST CITATION – BABY ZOENGPUII & PROF. DR ARUN KUMAR SINGH, CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOCIAL NETWORKING CRIMES: EMERGING LEGAL CHALLENGES IN THE DIGITAL ERA, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (7) OF 2026, PG. 811-821, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

Abstract

The proliferation of social media over the past two decades has transformed communication, commerce, and civic life, democratizing information and expression while enabling new crimes like cyberstalking, online defamation, identity fraud, deepfakes, and disinformation campaigns. These threats challenge individuals, institutions, and the rule of law.

This dissertation conducts a doctrinal and analytical examination of social media crimes in India. It critically assesses the adequacy of key statutes, the Information Technology Act, 2000; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; and IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, in tackling emerging digital offences. The study analyses judicial trends, intermediary liability, constitutional tensions between free speech and regulation, enforcement hurdles (anonymity, cross-border jurisdiction), and comparative frameworks from the US, UK, EU, Australia, and Singapore. It concludes with proposals for legislative, institutional, and technological reforms to foster a responsive, rights-compliant digital legal order.

Keywords: Social Media Crime, Cyber Law, Online Fraud, Deepfake, Intermediary Liability, Fake News, Privacy, Cyberstalking, Digital Evidence, IT Act, Freedom of Speech, Cyber Regulation, Digital Personal Data Protection