Understanding Morphing: Protecting Your Online Identity

Exploring Morphing

Morphing involves altering or changing pictures of individuals using online tools. Predominantly targeting young girls and women, online criminals misuse these images for blackmailing, creating fake profiles, sexting, and other nefarious activities.

Why Should We Be Concerned?

Morphing can severely damage your online reputation and lead to emotional trauma. Perpetrators may exploit these altered images to threaten and blackmail victims, causing significant distress.

Safeguarding Measures

To protect yourself against morphing:

• Enable security and privacy features on social media accounts.
• Refrain from sharing personal pictures publicly online.
• Use watermarks when sharing images.
• Implement two-factor authentication with strong passwords.
• Preserve evidence and screenshots for future reference.
• Seek support from trusted family and friends; do not suffer in silence.

Taking Action Against Morphing

If affected by morphing:

1. Register a complaint at your nearest cybercrime police station.
2. File an online complaint anonymously on cybercrime.gov.in.
3. Report objectionable content to social media account help centers.

Legal Provisions

Morphing may violate several sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, as well as other legal statutes:

• Section 66E: Punishment for violation of privacy.
• Section 67: Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material.
• Section 67A: Punishment for publishing or transmitting material containing sexually explicit acts.
• Section 67B: Punishment for publishing or transmitting material depicting children in sexually explicit acts.
• Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012: Sections 14 and 15 concerning child pornography.
• Indian Penal Code: Sections 354D, 463, 465, 471, 509, 499, and 500 covering various offenses related to forgery, defamation, and insult to modesty.