Agenda

DR. PAVAN DUGGAL 

Advocate, Supreme Court of India 

Chairman, International Commission on Cyber Security Law 

While a practicing Advocate, Supreme Court of India, Dr. Pavan Duggal has made an immense impact with an international reputation as an Expert and Authority on Cyber Law, Cyber Security Law, Cybercrime Law, Artificial Intelligence Law & E-commerce law.

Google Bard lists Dr. Pavan Duggal as the topmost cyber lawyers in the world.. Microsof’s Copilot and ChatGPT have listed Dr. Pavan Duggal amongst the top cyber lawyers in the world.

Dr.  Duggal has been acknowledged as one of the top 4 Cyber Lawyers around the world.

WDD [World Domain Day] recognizes him as one of the top 10 Cyber Lawyers around the world.

Dr. Pavan Duggal, is the Founder & Chairman of International Commission on Cyber Security Law. He is also the President of Cyberlaws.Net and has been working in the pioneering area of Cyber Law, Cyber Security Law & Mobile Law. 

Pavan is also heading the Artificial Intelligence Law Hub and Blockchain Law Epicentre.  He is the Founder-cum-Honorary Chancellor of Cyberlaw University.                   

Dr. Pavan Duggal is the Chief Evangelist of Metaverse Law Nucleus, Conference Director of International Conference On Metaverse And Law – Opportunities & Challenges and is also the Conference Director of the International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, being world's only authoritative Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity.    In addition, Dr. Duggal has also conducted various Round Tables on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity over the last couple of years. He has also organized various Thematic Workshops at the previously held ITUWSIS Forums.    

His empanelment as a consultant to UNCTAD and UNESCAP on Cyber Law and Cyber Crime respectively, membership of the AFACT Legal Working Group of the UN / CEFAT, consulting as an expert with the Council Of Europe on Cyber Crime, inclusion in the Board of Experts of European 

Commission’s Dr. E-commerce and his work as an expert authority on a Cyber Law primer for EASEAN Task Force and as a reviewer for Asian Development Bank speaks volumes of his worldwide acceptance as an authority.  

Pavan works in the area of Cyberlaw, and is internationally reputed as an expert and authority on Cyberlaw and E-Commerce law. He has also the credit of having done pioneering work in the field of mobile law, convergence law and dark net law. He is the president of Cyberlaw Asia, Asia's pioneering organization committed to the passing of dynamic cyberlaws in the Asian continent. 

Dr Duggal is also a member of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Panel of Neutrals. He is also a member of NOMNOM Committee on Multilingual Internet Names Consortium (MINC). 

Dr. Pavan Duggal, in association with International Telecommunications Union, conducted two Training cum Sensitization Programmes for the elected Judges and Officers of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, Netherlands on 23rd May, 2019. 

As an internationally renowned Cyber law and Cyber security subject expert, at the world stage during the High-Level Policy Statement delivered by him at the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) organized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), UNESCO, UNCTAD& UNDP in Geneva, Switzerland from 25th May – 29th May, 2015. Pavan Duggal has recommended the need for coming up with an International Convention on Cyberlaw &Cyber Security. 

He has been associated with UNESCO on various legal and policy issues concerning cyberspace. As a thought leader, Dr. Duggal has suggested that India requires a new legislation that is wholly dedicated to cyber security. 

Pavan, as an international expert and authority, conducts 44 different online courses at Cyberlaw  University, which have been subscribed by more than 31,500 students from 174 countries, speaking 53 national languages with excellent ratings. 

Pavan is a member of the Board of Globethics.net, global network of persons and institutions interested in various fields of applied ethics. 

Dr Duggal has been the Member of the Public Interest Registry’s.Org Advisory Council. He is a member of ICT policy and governance working group of the UNICT taskforce. He is the legal and policy Consultant to Internet Mark 2 Project, which is examining the next level of internet. He has been invited to be an Associated Fellow of the Centre for Asia Pacific Technology Law and Policy (CAPTEL) at Singapore. He is a Member of Panel of Arbitrators of the Regional Centre for Arbitration, Kuala Lumpur and Asian Domain Names Dispute Resolution Centre at Hong Kong. He is a Panel Member Of Permanent Monitoring Panel For Information Security-World Federation Of Scientists. 

He has been associated with the Ministry Of Communication and Information Technology, Government of India on Cyber Law and Electronic Governance legal issues and is a member of Advisory Committee on e-governance in Karnataka constituted by the Government of Karnataka. As also a member of Information Forensic Working Group on E-Information Systems, Security and Audit Association. 

Dr. Duggal is a member of Multi – Stakeholder Steering Group of the Asia Pacific Region Internet Governance Forum (APRIGF). 

He is the Founder of Cyberlaw Clinic and Clinic Mentor of Semcom Cyberlaw Clinic. 

He heads his niche law firm Pavan Duggal Associates, which has practice areas, amongst others, in Cyber Law, Business Process Outsourcing Law, Intellectual Property Rights and Information Technology Law, Information Security Law, Defence, Biotech and Corporate Law. 

While he has been a member of the Nominating Committee, Membership Advisory Committee and Membership Implementation Task Force of ICANN, Pavan is  the founder of the Cyber Law Association and is also the Founder-President, Cyberlaw India. 

Pavan is the Chair of CII Summit on Cyber Security of CII, Delhi. Pavan is the Co-Chairman of the Cyber Security Committee of ASSOCHAM, was the Chairman of the Cyber Law Committee of ASSOCHAM and works closely with CII and FICCI. 

Some outstanding pioneering work in the field of BPO legal issues has resulted in his being a member of the BPO Steering Committee of ASSOCHAM. Today, he advises a number of BPO concerns on different legal issues relating to outsourcing.  

Dr. Pavan Duggal has been bestowed with the honour as the Practice Professor on Cyberlaw and Cyber Security by Manav Rachna International University. 

Dr. Pavan Duggal was awarded with Professor of Eminence in Cyber Security Law by Lex Consilium Foundation and Akhil Bhartiya Vidhi Pradhyapak Sangam under the project Nurturing Smart Teachers. 

v Achievements 

He has been a member of number of committees namely: 

o   Member of the Permanent Monitoring Panel on "The Future of Cyber Security" of the World Federation of Scientists, an organization active in the framework of ICSC – International Centre for Scientific Culture - World Laboratory 

o   Permanent Monitoring Panel (PMP) on Information Security, established by World Federation of Scientists 

o   The ICANN Nominating Committee representing the Asia Pacific region, 2003 and 2004 o Membership Advisory Committee of The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) 

o   Advisory Council of the Institute of Cyber Security and Law of University of Delhi  

v Contributions to Cyber Security Legal Jurisprudence 

Duggal has been contributing to pushing the envelope of Cyberlaw jurisprudence, specifically in the context of cyber security. He has highlighted the need for further beefing up Indian cyber security legal response. He has argued “Till now, India has only adopted a lip service approach to cybersecurity.”  He has stated that “we need to realise that we are behind the curve on handling cyber security. In the current scenario, the cyber security breaches are not being given enough attention by the law enforcement agencies. This needs to change. We can’t have national security unless we pay adequate attention to cyber security.”  

While talking about lack of national geospatial policy or guidelines in India, which prevents multidimensional understanding of cyber security from geospatial prism, Dr. Pavan Duggal has pointed out that “India lacks a dedicated law on cybersecurity. Moreover, even globally there’s no binding international law on it”, said Dr. Pavan Duggal, Chairman, International Commission on Cyber Security Law.  

He has been underlining the need for India to have dedicated legislation on cyber security.[16] He has highlighted that “India requires a new legislation that is wholly dedicated to cyber security. It is not sufficient to merely put cyber security as a part of the IT Act.”  In this regard, he has highlighted that “we will have to have a collaborative model on cyber-security. We need to create more awareness on cyber-security.”  He has further argued that “we must start to inculcate cybersecurity as a way of life.” 

He has cautioned against blind-folded relying upon the digital platforms in the context of cyber security. He has cautioned that “what was secure yesterday is not secure today and what is secure today will not be secure tomorrow. Blindfoldly relying upon these platforms would not suffice. There is a need for people to incorporate cyber security as away of life.”  

Pavan Duggal has recommended the need for coming up with an International Convention on Cyber Laws and Cyber Security. 

Dr. Pavan Duggal has highlighted the significance of Government of India’s new directives on cyber security in terms of reporting of cyber security breaches. He has highlighted the game changing impact of the new directions issued by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) on mandatory cyber security reporting. 

Pavan Duggal, an advocate and cyber law expert, said this is the first time the government issued directives on cyber law “of this magnitude and nature." He further added, “India presently does not have a dedicated cyber security law, and the IT Act, 2000, only dealt with some aspects of it. The new rules bring every company in India under scrutiny and require logs of ICT servers to be maintained for a rolling period of 180 days for transparency and accountability." 

“By a single stroke of secondary legislation, the government has offered umbrella cyber security directions for all companies. These directions could be game-changing in their perspective and amplitude and could be a turning point in providing a robust legal framework for promoting cyber security," Duggal added. 

Regarding Indian cyber security legal approach, Dr. Pavan Duggal has highlighted that "there is still no clarity on the standard operating procedures both in the public and private sector. Till now various stakeholders were dealing in silos and cybersecurity was a divided turf”.  He said that a dedicated cyber law is also a must for this holistic approach. 

He has further highlighted in the Indian context that the Indian technology legislation is inadequate. It’s not that India doesn’t have any law to deal with cyber security. The Information Technology Act, 2000 has certain provisions for it. However, cyber law expert Pawan Duggal says the law is completely inadequate. “The IT Act is mainly aimed at e-commerce and e-governance. India doesn’t have a dedicated cyber security law.”  

Pavan has commented on India’s latest foray in cyber security regulations by means of the Directions under sub-section (6) of section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 relating to information security practices, procedure, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents for Safe & Trusted Internet bearing No. 20(3)/2022-CERT-In dated 28th April, 2022 issued by the Government of India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT- In). Pavan Duggal, an advocate and cyber law expert, said this is the first time the government issued directives on cyber law “of this magnitude and nature." He further added, “India presently does not have a dedicated cyber security law, and the IT Act, 2000, only dealt with some aspects of it. The new rules bring every company in India under scrutiny and require logs of ICT servers to be maintained for a rolling period of 180 days for transparency and accountability."“By a single stroke of secondary legislation, the government has offered umbrella cyber security directions for all companies. These directions could be game-changing in their perspective and amplitude and could be a turning point in providing a robust legal framework for promoting cyber security," Duggal added.  

Dr. Pavan Duggal has maintained that the internet cannot be a wild-wild-west and therefore social media firms have to be made accountable and responsible for what goes on their platforms given the blatant contraventions and violations that takes place on social media platforms. Cyber law expert Pawan Duggal, while maintaining that the social media companies must be made more accountable, also points out that the process should be gradual rather than sudden. “India must come up with more cogent and effective mechanisms to make social media firms more responsible. There is a global trend which says blanket exemption from liability should not be given. But making these firms more accountable is a slow process, it’s not going to happen overnight,” he said.  

v  Work In Artificial Intelligence Legal Jurisprudence 

Dr. Pavan Duggal has been contributing to the evolving legal jurisprudence on Artificial Intelligence, through his books on Artificial Intelligence and also through his course on Artificial Intelligence legalities. 

He has authored the leading treatise being "ChatGPT and Legalities” and “GPT4 and Law” which have elaborated the growing legal and policy issues concerning  generative Artificial Intelligence in particular and Artificial Intelligence in general. 

He is the Conference Director of Indian National Forum on Artificial Intelligence and National Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Governance and Legalities Post GPT-4o.

He has contributed to academic discussions and debate evolving Artificial Intelligence jurisprudence. He has broadly highlighted the importance of Artificial Intelligence in the context of judicial systems. Pavan Duggal, Founder, Pavan Duggal Associates & Head, Artificial Intelligence Law Hub expressed hope about the quantum jump the judiciary system will be taking in the next ten years. “With Artificial Intelligence (AI), block chain and Internet of Things (IoT) changing the world around, the judiciary is bound to evolve dramatically by 2030. And so will be the demand of service from lawyers. With all the information and technological support at hand, the client will already have the data analysis and insights. They would require lawyers to guide them through it and provide necessary support. Hence the future lawyers need to be super lawyers who will be analyst, broadcaster and lawyer, all rolled into one.” He remarked.  

v  Role in Evolving Metaverse Law 

Duggal has been working on the legal issues of Metaverse. He is the Chief Evangelist of Metaverse Law Nucleus. 

He has highlighted various legal challenges thrown up by Metaverse including issues pertaining to its legalities, growing phenomenon of Metaverse and the need for regulating breaches of cyber security in Metaverse. He has further opined that Metaverse today brings across new distinctive legal challenges. Metaverse law as a subdiscipline of cyber law is going to be evolving very rapidly in the next few years, said cyber law expert and senior Supreme Court Advocate Pavan Duggal. To a large extent, Metaverse laws will be based on the foundations of cyber laws. He further opined that regulating cyber security would require dedicated legal frameworks. But more significantly, we will quickly start realizing new manifestations and new orientations of the legal jurisprudence coming forward, Duggal explained. 

Duggal also highlighted the issues pertaining to increased data usage on Metaverse. He stated that youngsters need to realise that behind the sexy glee of Metaverse lies the hunger of Metaverse stakeholders for your data, and therefore there is going to be huge impact on your privacy, he says. 

Pavan Duggal addressed, on Metaverse legalities, the First International Conference On Metaverse And Law – Opportunities & Challenges, organized on 24 March 2022 by Metaverse Law Nucleus & Pavan Duggal Associates, Advocates and also the Second International Conference On Metaverse And Law – Opportunities & Challenges, organized on 4th May, 2023 by Metaverse Law Nucleus & Pavan Duggal Associates, Advocates. Pavan Duggal Associates, Advocates and also the Second International Conference On Metaverse And Law – Opportunities & Challenges, organized on 4th May, 2023 by Metaverse Law Nucleus & Pavan Duggal Associates, Advocates. 

The book entitled “The Metaverse Law” authored by Duggal has been featured in the category of 9 Best Metaverse eBooks of All Time, by Book Authority, being the world's leading site for book recommendations by thought leaders. 

v  Enabling Regulation of Crypto Ecosystem 

Duggal has been advocating a minimal enabling regulatory framework for crypto ecosystem. He has highlighted that India needs to specifically focus on the legal and policy frameworks pertaining to crypto- assets and cryptocurrencies. He believes that banning crypto-assets and cryptocurrencies is not a legal and pragmatic option. This is because crypto-assets and cryptocurrencies are global paradigms and by banning them in India they cannot be wished away. He has argued that some foundations from Indian cyberlaw could be made as foundational building blocks for the further subsequent minimal enabling regulation of Blockchain. 

Pavan has opined that if Indians have invested over Rs 6 lakh crore in the crypto ecosystem and there is absence of legal clarity, it is very much possible that a large number of people could lose huge chunks of money. The quicker India as a nation wakes up from its deep slumber and starts addressing the crypto ecosystem, the better it will be. He has pointed out that RBI and government will need to come up with the appropriate mechanisms to disseminate more information about the national digital currency and make it safe from potential cyber-attacks and from potential cybercriminal activities. 

Pavan has pointed out numerous legal policy and regulatory issues concerning Bitcoins including their legalities and the difficulties in enforcing them in the legal jurisdiction, apart from challenges pertaining to the choices of jurisdictions in the event of dispute pertaining to payments made by Bitcoins. 

v  Pavan’s vision of New Cyber World Order 

As a visionary thinker and eminent cyber jurist, Pavan has argued in his book “New Cyber World Order Post Covid-19”, that the world is inching towards new cyberspace by the time it is victorious in its fight against the current and other subsequent waves of coronavirus infections. This New Cyber World Order will be an ecosystem where nation states will become more powerful and where there will be an increasing interference in the enjoyment of digital liberties and rights of the citizens. 

Dr. Pavan Duggal has highlighted the significance of New Cyber World Order after the Covid-19 pandemic. 

v  Address to United Nations for Incorporating Elements in the proposed Comprehensive International Convention 

Duggal spoke at the (18th meeting) First session of United Nations Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes, on the elements and inputs that need to be incorporated in the proposed International Convention to prevent the misuse of Information & Communication Technologies for criminal purposes. During his address, Pavan talked about the need for highlighting the issues pertaining to cyber security since cyber security, Cyberlaw and cybercrime are three connected sisters. He underlined the need for preventing misuse of Information & Communication Technologies networks for criminal purposes in the data economy as becoming the top most priority for governments. He emphasized the need for addressing darknet related issues as also issues pertaining to misuse of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Internet of Things. He further argued the need for the proposed Convention to address misuse of emerging technologies like Quantum Computing and Metaverse. (from 01:11:10 to 01:21:10) 

v  First Intersessional Consultation of the Ad Hoc Committee 

Duggal was invited to be a Speaker-cum-Panelist at the First Intersessional Consultation of the Ad Hoc Committee, held from 24–25 March 2022 at Vienna. The Ad Hoc Committee has been established establish to elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes. During his address for more than 30 minutes, Pavan elaborated on the broad structural parameters and architecture of the proposed international Convention to regulate the misuse of Information and Communications Technologies for criminal purposes. Pavan also highlighted essential elements and key thrust areas that need to be made integral component of the proposed Convention. 

v  Association with the United Nations and its Organizations 

International Court of Justice (ICJ) 

In association with International Telecommunications Union, uggal has conducted two Training cum 

Sensitization Programmes for the elected Judges and Officers of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, Netherlands in May, 2019. 

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s Education for Justice (E4J) initiative 

Duggal was part of the International Expert Panel which reviewed different Cybercrime Modules for United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s Education for Justice (E4J) initiative. 

UNESCO Quebec Conference 

Pavan Duggal was invited to address UNESCO Conference on Cyber Radicalization held on 30th October – 1st November, 2016 at Quebec, Canada.Pavan Duggal spoke about the need for international legal frameworks to deal with cyber radicalization. He highlighted the need for adopting strong counter narratives, and for coming up with robust national legislative approaches to deal with cyber radicalization in effective manner. 

v Signatory of Oxford statements 

Duggal has been associated with The Oxford Process on International Law Protections in Cyberspace. He is the signatory of various statements which are issued by the Oxford Institute of Ethics, Law & Armed Conflicts. Duggal is a signatory to the Oxford Statement on the International Law Protections Against Cyber Operations Targeting the Health Care Sector, the Oxford Statement on International Law Protections Against Foreign Electoral Interference Through Digital Means, and the Oxford Statement on International Law Protections in Cyberspace: The Regulation of Information Operations and Activities. 

He is also a Signatory to Oxford Statement on International Law Protections in Cyberspace: The Regulation of Ransomware Operations. 

Contribution to Round Table on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity 

The Round Table on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime& Cybersecurity aims to examine the current developments in the area of Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity as well as connected legal and policy issues during the Coronavirus times. 

Dr. Pavan Duggal elaborated and introduced broad trends evolving around Cyberlaw, Cybercrime and Cybersecurity at the RoundTable on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, being Thematic Workshop No. 315 organized by Cyberlaws.Net and Pavan Duggal Associates, Advocates under the aegis of International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, at ITU WSIS Forum 2022.Dr. Pavan Duggal had moderated the said Thematic Workshop. At the said Round Table on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, Pavan highlighted the broad developments at the international level of Cyberlaw, Cybercrime and Cybersecurity. He further pointed out about the increasing relevance of cyber security. 

Pavan Duggal further stated that however, in this data economy, there are increasing numbers of cyber- attacks globally: from data leaks to ransomware attacks on everything from social media to power systems to airlines. In fact, Dr Duggal noted, every 11 seconds a company falls victim to a ransomware attack. We’re in the golden age of cybercrimes, he continued, and the impact is tangible. 6 trillion US Dollars have been lost to cybercrime already, and another 8 trillion dollars are expected to be lost due to these attacks. 

With the current lack of international legislation, it is extremely hard to prosecute cyber-criminals. While electronic evidence has become a crucial tool for governments, law enforcement and the judiciary in investigating cybercrime, the growth of the Darknet makes it even easier to access identity-hiding technology. 

v  Contribution To Cyber Capacity Building On Cyber Frauds Legalities 

Dr. Pavan Duggal has been working in enhancing capacity building on the legalities concerning cyber fraud. Dr Pavan Duggal, Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and a pioneer name in the country's cyber security law campaigns, told journalists at the Zee Media group that everyone has the right to have unlawful access to their data deleted from the digital domain. He was referring to old films and images that have surfaced on the internet after years in a targeted attempt to ruin one's image…. Duggal stated that if a person is a victim of online abuse or fraud, they should not remain silent because speaking up might be advantageous in the long run.  

v  Highlighting the Need for Cyber Capacity Building 

Duggal has repeatedly highlighted the need for enhancing capacity building. He has stated that “We are sitting ducks for the cybercriminals and it is time for us to strengthen our defences and enhance our awareness. We have already created an online platform offering various courses on cyberlaw, cybercrime and cybersecurity. Speaking about the numbers more than 27,000 students have done the courses from over  52 countries speaking 15 different languages over 3 years. These figures are telling us that there is a need for awareness training,” says Duggal. 

He has highlighted the need for corporate stakeholders to contribute in cyber skills.“Companies have to do far more capacity building among their employees while working from home in these transient times,” says Duggal. 

v  Views on Golden Age of Cybercrime 

Duggal has further highlighted the massive increase of cybercrime. As per Dr. Duggal,“with the pandemic’s onset, we also see the advent golden age of cybercrime and this golden age is going to last for a few decades. Its beginning has been characterised by the three top-most cybercrimes across the world. They are phishing, identity theft and online financial fraud. It has become so common because it is easy to phish people. During the Covid-19 it was even easier as primarily there was a fear and panic among people. So many people were fearful or panicking and ended up clicking the wrong link, believing the wrong voices and becoming victims of the attacks. Phishing has emerged as one of the top-most cybercrimes in the world and since there is an increase in the capacity building of such criminals we will witness more and more phishing in future.”  

As per Media India Group, Pavan Duggal, an advocate of the Supreme Court of India specialising in cyberlaw has had long experience of dealing with people who have been victims of cybercrime. As per Pavan Duggal, “With the coming of Covid-19, it’s cybercrime everywhere with nowhere to run. The golden age of cybercrime has raised the global cost of cybercrimes including these cyberattacks. Users have to now wake up to the new cyber age. Users have to now be careful and should not be part of the vomiting group, i.e., they are vomiting all kinds of sensitive data whether it be personal, professional or social information unnecessarily. They only need to share the information on a needto-know basis and be duly diligent. They must learn to inculcate elements of distrust and mistrust. Only by conscious effort, due diligence and caution you can prevent yourself from becoming a victim.

 vViews on Right To Be Forgotten 

Dr. Pavan Duggal has underlined the need for everyone today to have Right To Be Forgotten digitally. In a conversation with journalists at the Zee Media group, Dr Pavan Duggal, Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and a pioneer name in country’s cyber security law campaigns, said that everybody has the right to get unauthorised access to their data removed from the digital space. He was speaking in the context of old videos and photos surfacing on the internet after years in a targeted bid to tarnish image. Dr. Duggal has also highlighted the need for India to have dedicated legal approach. “In India, we do not have a concept of the right to be Forgotten. It’s a very Western concept," said Pavan Duggal, a cyberlaw expert and Supreme Court advocate. 

According to Dr Duggal, “I believe under the Indian Constitution, we have the fundamental right to life under Article 21. I believe that fundamental right needs to be interpreted in very broad terms not only to have include therein access to the internet but also the Right To Be Forgotten on the internet.”  

He has stated that “Still, intermediaries like search engines and Internet services providers, under the country’s IT Act and IT Rules, have the obligation to exercise due diligence if an aggrieved party sends them a written notice." 

v  Views on Pegasus Controversy 

In the context of Pegasus controversy, Duggal has warned digital stakeholders that this episode needs to be a wakeup call for all digital ecosystem stakeholders to come out from their deep slumber and to come up with more updated and appropriate strategies to deal with the constant challenges thrown up by the surveillance technologies and increasing cyber security breaches. 

In this context, he also warned digital stakeholders not to depend upon the state to protect privacy. He further indicated that most of the time, we ourselves become the weakest link in the cyber security chain by disclosing things. Already India is seeing the great Indian vomiting revolution, where Indians are vomiting all kinds of personal, professional, social information about their day-to-day lives on to the internet. 

In the context of Pegasus, it is the time to rethink Indian Cyberlaw. 

v  Views On Amending Indian Cyberlaw For Topicality 

Dr. Pavan Duggal has further highlighted that India must revisit the Information Technology Act, 2000 to have dedicated cybercrime courts in the country. 

Cyber law expert Pavan Duggal recommended that India needs dedicated legal provisions for protecting women in cyberspace, and data related to women needs to be specifically protected. “I proposed amendments to the IT Act, suggested special protection of women data in the Personal Data Protection Bill and bringing in a new cyber security law,” Duggal said. “The current provisions of the IT Act are not adequate. 

v  Views on Safeguarding Indian Digital Ecosystem 

Pavan has been underlining the need for India to take effective action to safeguard the Indian digital ecosystem. He has pointed out that India has an immense policy vacuum as it doesn’t have a dedicated law on cyber security, for data protection nor a dedicated law for privacy. So in the absence of punitive legislation, India becomes a very fertile ground for hackers. Commenting on The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, he has opined that “Cyber attacks and security breaches in India have increased massively, and these are often not recorded. If the government wants to join Aadhaar with voter ID, they are doing it without any reference to the cyber security methodologies, process, and procedure in the process of making this linking exercise more secure.”  

v  Opinions on Indian Aadhaar Law 

In the context of the passing of the law concerning India's national biometric identity being Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. Pavan Duggal has opined that there is a need to expand Aadhaar only after 'national security' is defined. He has stated that the term "national security" has not been defined, thus making the aforesaid provision open to a wide interpretation. In the absence of a definition, any and every circumstance could be brought under the purview of national security. The law needs to put in place crystal-clear parameters as to what constitutes national security, when it talks of sharing of personally data with third parties. 

In the Context of India's Aadhaar Law and Cyber Security, Pavan Duggal has opined that issues pertaining to cyber security of Aadhaar ecosystem need to be very well examined and analyzed. He has opined that the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 not only symbolizes the biometric identity of individuals, but it also symbolizes biometric and demographic face of the biggest democracy in the world. 

He has argued that with the Government of India making Aadhaar mandatory, there is a need for revisiting and amending the Aadhaar law so as to address the cyber security and other concerns of the Aadhaar ecosystem. He has further highlighted that currently, privacy protection in Aadhaar is not strong in India. 

v  Role as Amicus Curiae 

Pavan Duggal was appointed as Amicus Curiae in the landmark case of X vs. Union of India, W.P. (Crl) No. 1082/2020 by Delhi High Court. 

For examining the statutory landscape, the technological limitations and the reality, the Court appointed Dr Pavan Duggal, Advocate, specialising in cyber law and cyber crime, as Amicus Curiae, as also to assist the Court in addressing issues involved in the said petition. 

The judgment also contains the submissions of Mr Pavan Duggal the noted Cyber Law expert where a good summary of the applicable law is available. Given the international experience of Mr Pavan Duggal who was the Amicus Curiae in the hearing, the judgement will be a very useful reference document for all students of Cyber Law. 

The said judgment has been lauded from the perspective of Cyberlaw jurisprudence. In the said matter, Pavan Duggal assisted the Court in such an admirable manner that the Court was pleased to note in para 96 of the judgment dated 20/4/2021 that “this court records its deep appreciation for the invaluable assistance rendered in the matter by the learned Amicus Curiae Dr. Pavan Duggal.” 

v Others 

He has commented that the Government's move to amend the Indian Information Technology Act, 2000 is not enough. He has opined that by making the Superintendent of Police or an officer above to register cases under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act 2000 is like fixing a leaking roof with bandaid.  

Pavan has described the judgment of Justice K S Puttaswamy (Retd.), And Anr. v/s Union of India pertaining to right to privacy as the historic judgment and having tremendous impact. He has pointed out that the said judgment is only applicable to the state and all instrumentality of the state as fundamental rights are only enforceable applicable against state action under the Indian Constitution. v Books and Recognition 

Dr. Duggal is a regular on the lecture circuit. He has spoken at over 3000 Conferences, Seminars and Workshops in the last two decades, and has lectured extensively in select Law Colleges. As a Writer, he has made his mark with 199 Books on various aspects of the law in the last 20 years. Dr. Pavan Duggal’s books have been conferred various awards by Book Authority in various categories over a couple of years.    

He has written several books/eBooks on various diverse and complex aspects concerning the legalities of policy related issues impacting cyberspace, Internet and the World Wide Web. He has authored India's first mobile law treatise, which focuses on litigation and jurisprudence vis-à-vis mobile communication devices. 

The vast and diverse range of Pavan Duggal’s books include Books on Cyber Law, Cybercrime Law, Cyber Security Law, Artificial Intelligence Law, Blockchain Law, Internet of Things Law, Other Emerging Technologies and Legalities and on Coronavirus & Cyber Legal Issues. 

The World Summit on the Information Society gives details of numerous books authored by Dr. Pavan Duggal on the website of the International Telecommunications Union. 

Dr. Pavan Duggal’s books have been conferred various awards by Book Authority in various categories over a couple of years.  Pavan Duggal’s numerous books have been recognized by BookAuthority, the world’s leading site of books recommendations by thought leaders. 

Numerous Book Authority’s Awards have been conferred To Duggal’s Books. 

19 of various Cyberlaw Books authored by Pavan Duggal have been featured by BookAuthority in “37 Best Cyberlaw Books of All Time”. 

12 Best New Cyberlaw Books To Read In 2022 feature 10 of Pavan Duggal’s books. 

BookAuthority, the world’s leading site of books recommendations by thought leaders, has listed numerous books written by Dr. Pavan Duggal in 40 Best Cyberlaw Books of All Time. 11 Best New Cyberlaw Books To Read In 2022. 27 Best-Selling Cyberlaw eBooks of All Time and 11 Best New Cyberlaw eBooks To Read In 2022. 

In addition, he has been conferred with various awards including “Ordre du Merite de Budapest”, Council of Europe Economic Crime Division, November 2011, Strasbourg and Bharat Nirman Award, 2023.  He had contributed a continuing weekly column on diverse aspects of the law, titled ‘Brief Cases’ to the Economic Times, for almost a decade. 

More    about   Dr.       Pavan  Duggal            is         available          at  https://www.pavanduggal.com/          and https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavanduggal. 

Alfredo M. Ronchi

Secretary General

EC MEDICI Framework, Italy

Alfredo M. Ronchi, is the General Secretary of the EC MEDICI Framework (1995,-), member of the representative of OCCAM NGO at UN Headquarters in Geneva, active member of WSIS and UNESCO IFAP since 2003.Founder and Chair of the JRC S2D2 (Safety, Security, Defense, Disaster Recovery and Management).Mr Ronchi is member of the following Boards of Directors: Global Forum, World Summit Award,European Youth Award,European Education New Society Association (ENSA).Member of the Scientific Committee c/o Infopoverty, Fondazione Italiana Nuove Comunicazioni, Global Forum, Sacred World Foundation, member of the Keio University Network of Excellence.

Consultant: IBM (Lugano CH) 1982-83, Team Informaticas.a. (Lugano CH) 1981-83, Thorn/Sylvania/GE Lighting, 1989-94, GE Medical Systems, 1990-93, BolognaFiere 1994-1995, Austrian Ministry of Culture 1999, MinisteriumfürWissenschaft, Weiterbildung, Forschung und Kultur des LandesRheinland-Pfalz, Norwegian Ministry of culture – Riksantikvaren, Municipality of Christiansand, Italian Association of Banks (ABI).

Member of: the WSA Grand Jury, President of the eContentAward;Programme Chair of the Cultural Track of the IX International World Wide Web Conference, May 2000 Amsterdam (NL), Chair of panels “On culture in a world-wide information society” WWW Conferences 2001-2004, Co-Chair of Infopoverty Conferences 2001-08.

He is coordinator / manager of several different international projects. He had active roles in events promoted by The World Bank, Council of Europe, European Commission, UNESCO IFAP, IEEE.

Author of books, papers and articles to profljours: eCulture, eGovernment, eHealth, eLearning.

A.M. Ronchi is a professor at Politecnico di Milano (Engineering Faculty).

Saakshar Duggal

Advocate, Delhi High Court

Advisor, Academic Outreach, Cyberlaw University

Professional Summary
 Saakshar Duggal is one of India's leading youth voices on the legalities of Emerging Technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain etc. He is a 11 times TEDx speaker and has been a guest speaker at prominent organizations like the United Nations main office (UN) , Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) , All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS) , National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM). He is dedicated to promoting awareness of legal issues in cyberspace and of upcoming technologies like Artificial Intelligence.His goal is to make India Cyber Resilient.

Professional Experience
Authorship:

- Authored the book "Cybercrimes During Covid-19 & Legal Issues In India".

Speaking Engagements:

●  Distinguished speaker at the International Conference on Metaverse and Law Opportunities and Challenges, March 24, 2022, addressing intellectual property rights and legal issues in the Metaverse ecosystem.

●  Conducted a Free Master Class titled "Dive Deep Into Ransomware Attacks" on December 15, 2021, organized by AntWak.

●  Invited participant in the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes.

●  Speaker at the Virtual Session on Tackling Cybercrime and Preventing Measures on April 18, 2023, organized by Cyberlaw University during the Fifth Session of the UN Adhoc Committee on Cybercrime.

●  Coordinator of Center Against Cyber Bullying (CACB), focusing on cyber bullying and cybercrime among youth.

Presentations and Conferences:

●  Addressed the "Round Table on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity" at the ITU WSIS Forum 2022 on April 26, 2022.

●  Speaker at the Asia Pacific Region Internet Governance Forum in August 2014, addressing cybercrime.

●  Distinguished speaker at multiple International Conferences on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

●  Spoke on emerging challenges in cyber security and cybercrime at the ITU WSIS Forum 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland.

●  Presented at various sessions on cyber bullying, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and wearable technologies at the International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity.

● Speaker at the International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

●  Addressed the Malaysian judiciary on the ground position of cybercrimes in India in July 2016.

Guest Lectures:

●  Given numerous talks in various schools in India on how children and teenagers can protect themselves from the ill-effects of cyberbullying.

●  Featured in various TV programs on cyberbullying in different Indian TV channels. ●

Addressed students at various colleges, universities, and educational institutions, including: ○

○ GD Goenka University

○ Amity University

○ Saheed Sukhdev College

○ Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College

○ Gitarattan International Business School

○ Miranda House

○ Universal College of Medical Sciences

○ Manav Rachna University

Awards and Recognition:

●  Named one of "India's Top 100 Entrepreneurs Under The Age Of 40, 2022" by Fox Story India.

●  Recognized as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Indians of 2022" by HyperEdge.

Education:

●  BA LLB

●  LLM in Artificial Intelligence Law and Intellectual Property Rights

Prof. Dr Fadi Daou
Globethics Executive Director
Lebanon and France

Fadi Daou has an academic, policy-making, and social entrepreneurship background. He is a professor of the geopolitics of religions, with extensive research and publication activity. Since 2021, he has been working on a research project at the University of Geneva. He has also contributed to the foundation of many civil society organisations, and was until 2020 the CEO of Adyan Foundation, working for diversity management and peacebuilding. He has contributed to policy dialogues and mediations in sensitive contexts. He also provides consulting services to governments and international organisations on strategic management and policy-making in the fields of peace, pluralism, and social cohesion. In 2020, he received the Elevate Prize for global thinkers and change-makers.

Drishyaa Duggal

Associate

International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity

Current Activities: Drishyaa Duggal is a Cyber Psychology Evangelist, public speaker, Youth Ambassador, Center Against Cyber Bullying and Immediate Past President, Capital City Toastmasters.  She is a student pursuing B.A.( Hons) Applied Psychology from Amity University, Noida. She has passed out from Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi.

Achievements :Drishyaa Duggal is a regular speaker at International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime and Cybersecurity, having addressed the said conference in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. 

Drishyaa Duggal addressed the First Inter-sessional Consultation of the Ad Hoc Committee, held from 24-25 March, 2022 at Vienna. The Ad Hoc Committee has been established establish to elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes. She has highlighted the need for incorporating cyber psychology elements as part of the Preamble of the proposed Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes.  

Drishyaa Duggal addressed the Thematic Workshop entitled “Round Table on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity”, organized by Cyberlaws.Net and Pavan Duggal Associates, Advocates, under the aegis of the International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity at the ITU WSIS Forum 2022, on 26th April, 2022.  During her address, Drishyaa spoke about cyber psychology aspects of cyber actors in today’s cyber ecosystem and the need for addressing cyber psychology aspects of digital activities in today’s digital ecosystem. 

She also spoke at the Thematic Workshop entitled “Cyberlaw, Cyber Security Law, Internet of Things and Emerging Global Trends” held on 12th June, 2017 during the ITU WSIS Forum 2017 at Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by International Telecommunications Union, UNESCO, UNDP, UNCTAD, UNICEF.  In the said Thematic Workshop, she spoke from the perspectives of youngsters and school children on cyberspace issues, given the increased incidents of cyber harassment and cyber trolling being engaged both by targeted at youngsters and school children. 

Drishyaa Duggal was part of the organizing team in organizing the First International Conference on ‘Ethics as a transversal dimension in higher education: Challenges for Latin America’ at UCA in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 21- 22 October 2019.

She has been awarded numerous prizes and awards in different competitions organized by different academic institutions. She was awarded the First Prize in Market Mania organized by Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University in March 2022. She has been awarded first prize in Image Weavers, The Image-Based Extempore conducted under Vasundhara, 2022 organized by Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi in March 2022.She was the First Rank Holder at Ideathon Competition, organized by Shivaji College, University of Delhi and also at the Turncoat Debate Competition. Drishyaa has been awarded the Runners Up award for ReVamp It in Xenia 2022, organized by ISBF in February, 2022.  She has been awarded second prize in Strategy Shastra organized by Atma Ram Sanatan Dharam College, University of Delhi in March 2022. 

She had also attended internationally acclaimed Workshop on Millionaire Mind Intensive. 

She participated in the Commonwealth Essay Competition 2020. 

She also participated in three projects on Community Service, Broadcasting and Blogging held at Bhutan in 2019 and awarded with Certification of Participation for the same. 

She had participated in Pearl Academy Art Competition organized by Pearl Academy and awarded with Certificate of Participation.