Legal framework
The Colombian rules that criminalise computer offences, regulate personal data handling and bind the school on cyberbullying.
// English summary below. The complete Spanish version is always available.
The legal framework does two distinct jobs here: it defines which conduct counts as a crime — and therefore what students must learn to recognise — and it sets the obligations the project itself must meet when working with minors.
Law 1273 of 2009 — amended the Criminal Code and created the protected legal interest “protection of information and data”. It criminalises unauthorised access to computer systems, breach of personal data, website spoofing and theft by electronic means. These are precisely the three most reported offences in Colombia in 2024 (CCIT, 2025). Entering a classmate’s account “out of curiosity” is not a prank: it carries criminal consequences, including for minors.
Law 1581 of 2012 — the general personal data protection regime, with reinforced treatment for minors’ data. It governs this project’s informed consent, anonymisation and aggregate reporting; and it is the reason for an architectural decision: the site collects no personal data at all, which makes any data policy unnecessary. A project teaching students to demand compliance with this law could not run on a database of minors.
Law 1620 of 2013 — created the National School Coexistence System and expressly included cyberbullying among the situations schools must prevent, address and report. E-DIGNA does not propose a parallel protocol: it relies on the one the school is already legally required to have.
Law 2300 of 2023 — regulates commercial and debt-collection calls and messages, sets permitted hours and creates an opt-out registry. Phone spam is the everyday entry point to fraud; knowing this right exists is itself a digital competence.
CONPES 3995 of 2020 — the National Digital Trust and Security Policy set out to strengthen citizens’ digital security capabilities, not only those of the public and private sectors. Public policy has named the problem; the distance between that statement and the classroom is the space this project occupies.
Full translation in progress — complete Spanish version available at /investigacion/marco-legal.