DIGITAL DHARMA Versus ALGORITHMIC BIAS: SAFEGUARDING CULTURAL PURITY AND PRIVACY IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Abstract

After the COVID-19 outbreak, India’s digital market has grown rapidly, leading to the emergence of a deadly lust economy, which devalues intimacy and shifts conventional sex work online. This colossal shift has revealed legal and regulatory gaps in the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act-1956, Information Technology Act-2000, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita-2023, which fail to address unauthorised video calling services, unauthorised digital recordings, online romance scams, and algorithmic flaws. This article critically highlights how high-engagement seductive content materialised for cheap profit, put both the consumers and providers in danger, and eroded India’s rich culture. Thorough study of Indian jurisprudence indicates the challenge to balance between privacy and dignity while preventing the exploitation of sexual offence laws. Ultimately, the author upholds proactive algorithm accountability, systematic revocation of “safe harbour” protection to non-compliant digital intermediaries, and the promotion of “digital dharma” to safeguard vulnerable individuals from organised digital victimisation.