UPSC Notes

Information Technology Act, 2000

PYQs

14

Articles

1

Momentum

21

Phase IFoundation

Background

Overview

The IT Act is fundamental to India's digital governance, internal security, and legal framework for the digital economy. Understanding its provisions, especially those related to cybercrime and data protection, is crucial for GS2 (Governance, Legal Frameworks) and GS3 (Internal Security, Science & Technology).

The Information Technology Act, 2000, is India's primary law dealing with cybercrime and electronic commerce. It provides legal recognition for transactions carried out by means of electronic data interchange and other means of electronic communication, commonly referred to as 'electronic commerce', which involve the use of alternatives to paper-based methods of communication and storage of information.

Phase IIStatic core

Facts & tables

Key facts

Enactment and Amendments

Enacted in 2000, significantly amended in 2008 to address emerging cyber threats.

Scope

Provides legal framework for e-governance, e-commerce, digital signatures, and cybercrime.

Key Sections (as per article)

Sections 43(b) (extraction of data from a computer) and 66 (punishment for accessing computer systems or networks without permission) deal with unauthorized access and data theft.

Regulatory Body

Establishes CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) as the national agency for cybersecurity incident response.

Related topics

Practice writing on this topic

UPSC has asked 14 linked questions on Information Technology Act, 2000 in Mains. Write an answer to one — and get it evaluated.

UPSC Prelims PYQs on Information Technology Act, 2000

Practice official previous year questions asked by UPSC related to this concept.

In India, it is legally mandatory for which of the following to report on cybersecurity incidents? 1. Service providers 2. Data centres 3. Body corporate...

2017·Science & Technology
Solve

Consider the following statements: A digital signature is 1. an electronic record that identifies the certifying authority issuing it 2. used to serve as ...

2019·Science & Technology
Solve

Regarding ‘DigiLocker’, sometimes seen in the news, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is a digital locker system offered by the Governm...

2016·Science & Technology
Solve

With reference to ‘Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology’, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is a contactless communication technol...

2015·Science & Technology
Solve

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Smart India Hackathon 2017? 1. It is a centrally sponsored scheme for developing every city of ou...

2017·Science & Technology
Solve

The identity platform `Aadhaar' provides open "Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)". What does it imply? 1. It can be integrated into any electronic de...

2018·Science & Technology
Solve

Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are used to create the digital display in many devices. What are the advantages of OLED displays over Liquid Crystal di...

2017·Science & Technology
Solve

Which of the following statements with regard to drone swarms is/are correct ? 1. They use Terahertz band of frequency to communicate with the command centr...

2026·Science & Technology
Solve

Which one of the following words/phrases is most appropriately used to denote “an interoperable network of 3D virtual worlds that can be accessed simultaneou...

2024·Science & Technology
Solve

With reference to communication technologies, what is/are the difference/differences between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolut...

2019·Science & Technology
Solve

With reference to Web 3-0, consider the following statements : 1. Web 3-0 technology enables people to control their own data. 2. In Web 3-0 world, there ca...

2022·Science & Technology
Solve

Consider the following actions: 1. Detection of car crash/collision which results in the deployment of airbags almost instantaneously 2. Detection of acciden...

2023·Science & Technology
Solve

Consider the following statements: Statement I: Some rare earth elements are used in the manufacture of flat television screens and computer monitors. Stat...

2025·Science & Technology
Solve

Consider the following statements about Mission Sudarshan Chakra of India: 1. It aims to enhance India's air defence, ballistic missile defence and aerial o...

2026·Science & Technology
Solve

Editorial & Review Process

Every revision note and practice question on UPSC Practice is researched using authoritative primary sources and reviewed for factual accuracy, syllabus relevance, and exam value. Read our Editorial Policy.

Verified Quality