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Following TNM’s investigation into how CCTV footage from state-run theatres in Thiruvananthapuram is being sold on Telegram as soft porn, the Cyber Wing of the Kerala Police has registered an FIR.
The case was registered on December 5, four days after TNM published the investigation. The managing director of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) submitted a written complaint to the police. KSFDC is the government body that runs these theatres across the state.
The case has been registered under sections 43 (unauthorised access and damage of computer) and 66 (computer-related offences) of the Information Technology Act (2000) as well as section 120 (o) (creating nuisance through any communication means) of the Kerala Police Act, 2011.
According to the FIR, the KSFDC alleges that unidentified persons gained unauthorised access to the surveillance system of three theatres – Kairali, Sree and Nila – and circulated the CCTV visuals. “The visuals were spread on social media platforms in a manner that violated the privacy of the audience,” the complaint read.
Earlier this month, TNM’s investigative story exposed the illegal sale on Telegram of CCTV footage from movie theatres, houses, hostels and hospitals. The visuals from theatres revealed intimate moments of couples inside the movie halls. Though the videos accessed by TNM were from multiple theatres, one set could be traced back to Kairali, Sree, and Nila, three government-run theatres in Kerala’s capital city of Thiruvananthapuram.
TNM was in contact with the Kerala Cyber Crime Wing throughout our investigation. The police alerted the theatre authorities, urging them to take action. Following this, the theatre officials made immediate changes to their surveillance operations.
KSFDC implemented new measures including, setting stronger passwords, and limiting the CCTV access to a single device. They have also put display boards across the theatre premises and inside the cinema halls, informing the public that the area is under CCTV surveillance.
Read the full story here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/tnm-investigation-movie-theatre-cctv-clips-are-being-sold-as-soft-porn