Jurisdiction on Internet

The world has reached a time where human existence and lifestyle without internet access is almost unimaginable as it has now become a fundamental necessity. Owing to the enormous connectivity, information exchange and communication platform that the internet provides, it plays a vital role in each and every aspect of life wherein anyone from any part of the world can access the resources in the blink of an eye, be it education, governance, technology, medicine, infrastructure, etc. With the advent of Internet, the concept of Cyberspace has evolved. Cyberspace being a virtual space poses several threats to the conventional conceptions of jurisdiction. Jurisdiction is a part of the state sovereignty which extends to administrative, judicial and legislative competence. Jurisdiction as a notion includes the jurisdiction to adjudicate, the jurisdiction to prescribe, and the jurisdiction to enact. Crimes committed in the virtual world of cyberspace are called cybercrimes which are interpreted as any crime for which the use of internet was required. As Internet is trans-border and non-territorial, it becomes impossible to establish which state has jurisdiction over a specific cybercrime.