LAW5705 Cyber Law and AI — Unit 1: Introduction of Cyber Law

Unit 1: Introduction of Cyber Law

1.1 Concept and Evolution of Cyber Law

The concept: the cyberspace’s-law (the digital-environment’s rules (the “cyber” = the networked-computing-world (the internet’s-and-the-devices’ space))); the law’s-questions (the same-old-wrongs-new-tools (the fraud-the-theft-the-defamation-online) + the genuinely-new (the hacking (the data (the platform’s-power)))). The evolution’s-lines:

1. The technology’s-march: the ARPANET-to-the-internet (the 1969-to-the-1990s’ (the web’s-democratisation)); the mobile-and-the-social (the 2000s’-everyone-online); the cloud-and-the-AI (the 2010s’-the-data-era (the 2020s’-the-generative-turn)).
2. The law’s-responses’ waves: the first (the 1970s’-80s’ computer-crime-statutes (the hacking’s-and-the-wire-fraud’s)); the second (the 1990s’-2000s’ comprehensive-acts (the IT-Act-India-2000-type; the ETA-Nepal-2063’s-own-wave)); the third (the data-protection-and-the-platform (the GDPR-2016-type-era)); the fourth (the AI-and-the-cyber-security (the risk-based-regulation’s-dawn (the EU-AI-Act-era))).

1.2 Need and Importance of Cyber Law

1. The new-wrongs (the criminal’s-need): the hacking’s-and-the-malware (the fraud’s (the identity-theft’s (the CSAM-and-the-cyber-stalking’s))) — the analog-law’s-gaps (the “theft” requiring-the-movable’s-taking (the data’s-copy-not-take (the definitional’s-crisis)));
2. The commerce’s-foundation (the civil’s-need): the e-contract’s-validity (the signature’s-and-the-record’s (the payment’s-safety)); the trust-infrastructure (the PKI’s (the certification’s));
3. The rights’ protection: the expression’s-online (the Art-17(2)(a)-verified); the privacy’s-digital (the Art-28’s-verified (the data’s-dignity));
4. The sovereignty’s-and-security’s: the critical-infrastructure (the cyber-attack’s-national-threat (the cyber-war’s-face)); the jurisdiction’s-digital (the borderless’s-governance (the U2-and-U6’s));

1.3 Sources of Cyber Law

1. The Constitution (the 17(2)(a)-and-19’s-expression (the verified-frames (the LAW5610-U2’s-companion)); the 27-28’s-information-and-privacy);
2. The statutes (the Electronic Transactions Act 2063 (the anchor (the 4.3’s-salient-features)); the Muluki Criminal Code 2074 (the 4.4.1’s-faces); the Individual Privacy Act 2074; the Consumer Protection Act 2075; the E-Commerce Act 2081 (the newest-anchor (the U3.8.1’s)); the NTA Act 2053; the BAFIA-2073’s-banking-faces);
3. The delegated-and-directives (the Cyber Security By-Law 2077; the Social-Network-Directives-2080; the NRB’s-payment-directives (the NTA’s-licensing-conditions));
4. The policies (the ICT-Policy-2072; the National Cyber Security Policy 2080; the digital-Nepal-framework’s-faces);
5. The international (the U6’s-instruments (the Budapest’s-and-the-UN-2024’s (the non-party-status’s-questions)); the model-laws (the UNCITRAL’s-e-commerce-family (the ETA’s-inspiration-line)));
6. The case-law (the U2’s-and-U4’s-prescribed-cases’ line (the jurisprudence’s-building));

1.4 Nature and Emerging Issues of Cyber Law

The nature: the hybrid (the criminal-civil-and-the-administrative’s-blend); the dynamic (the law-chasing-the-technology (the “code-runs-faster” (the amendment’s-perpetual-lag))); the borderless-vs-the-territorial (the jurisdiction’s-creativity (the effects-doctrine’s (the U2-of-LAW5704’s-crossover))); the technical (the law’s-lawyers-learning-the-computing (the evidence’s-and-the-forensics’ (the U2.4-U2.5’s))); The emerging-issues (the exam’s-radar): the AI’s-governance (the U5’s); the deepfakes (the synthetic-media’s (the defamation-and-the-election’s (the LAW5610-U8.5’s-face))); the crypto’s (the blockchain’s-regulation (the U5.7’s)); the platform’s-accountability (the intermediary’s (the content-and-the-moderation’s (the mis/dis-information’s))); the data’s-colonialism’s-debate (the cross-border-flows (the cloud’s-jurisdiction)); the cybersecurity’s-escalation (the ransomware’s-era (the critical-infrastructure’s)); the digital-divide’s (the access’s-justice-questions (the LAW5702-U5’s-inclusion-face-online));

1.5 Fundamental Concept of Cyber Jurisprudence

The jurisprudence’s-questions (the theory’s-own):

1. The cyberspace’s-nature: the “space” or-the-medium (the sovereignty’s-extension-vs-the-no-boundary’s (the Barlow’s-declaration-lore (the “cyberspace-does-not-lie-within-your-borders” (the states’-answer: the code-and-the-law’s-reassertion))));
2. The jurisdiction’s-theories: the effects’-and-the-targeting’s (the Zippo’s-sliding-scale (the US-line (the names-only))); the objective-territorial’s (the server’s-and-the-device’s); the nationality’s-and-the-victim’s (the protective’s);
3. The regulation’s-theories: the code-as-law (the Lessig’s (the architecture’s-regulation (the “west-coast-vs-east-coast” lore))); the intermediaries-as-governors (the platform’s-quasi-sovereignty (the notice-and-takedown’s (the private-ordering’s)));
4. The rights’-theories: the expression’s-online (the anonymity-and-the-moderation (the proportionality’s-U-LAW5610-U2.5’s-application)); the privacy’s-architecture (the “privacy-as-the-contextual-integrity” theory’s (the Nissenbaum’s-face (the names-only))); the data-protection’s-principles (the purpose-and-the-minimisation (the FIPs’-fair-information-principles’ classic));

1.6 Developing Cyber Jurisprudence in Nepal

1. The statutory-line: the 2063’s-ETA (the first-anchor (the validity-and-the-offences’ (the “protection-of-transaction” purpose)); the 2074’s-Codes (the privacy-and-the-defamation’s-electronic-faces (the general-law’s-update)); the 2081’s-E-Commerce (the newest-statute (the platform’s-and-the-consumer’s (the U3’s)));
2. The judicial-line: the SC’s-cyber-cases (the Kha Kumari v. Nepal Government (D. No. 9621) (the Prakash Ojha Case) and the Advocate Baburam Aryal v. GoN (D. No. 9740) (Protection of Call Detail Record) — the early-jurisprudence’s-faces (the electronic-evidence’s-and-the-privacy’s (the U2-and-U4’s-own-placements))); the appellate-line (the fraud-and-the-morality’s (the Sanjay-Shrestha-and-the-Bhaktapur-1’s (the U2’s)));
3. The institutional-line: the Cyber-Bureau’s-establishment (the police’s-specialisation (the U7.3’s)); the NTA’s-regulatory (the licensing-and-the-bylaw’s); the OCC’s-certification (the U7.1.2’s); the policy-line (the 2080’s-cyber-policy (the national-strategy’s));
4. The gaps’-line (the honest-audit): the data-protection-statute’s-absence (the bill’s-serial-history (the honest-hedge: the pending’s)); the AI’s-no-framework (the U5.3’s); the amendment’s-lag (the 2063’s-ageing (the draft’s-reform’s)); the capacity’s (the judiciary-and-the-prosecution’s-technical-training (the implementation’s-battle)).

Model Questions

1. What is cyber law? Trace its evolution. (10)
2. Explain the sources of cyber law in Nepal. (10)
3. Discuss the fundamental concepts of cyber jurisprudence. (15)
4. Review the development of cyber jurisprudence in Nepal. (15)
5. Short notes: (a) Code as law; (b) ETA 2063’s purpose; (c) Effects doctrine; (d) Digital divide. (4×5)

📚 Get the complete notes: Download the full Cyber Law and AI PDF (all units) — Law Info Nepal Original Notes Series.