Based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce, the IT Act 2000 gave legal recognition to electronic records and digital signatures and created cyber offences. Major amendments in 2008 added offences such as identity theft and cyber terrorism (Section 66F) and rewrote the safe harbour for intermediaries in Section 79.
Based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on E-Commerce.
Major amendment in 2008.
Quick check: India's IT Act 2000 was based on which model law?
The EU Data Protection Directive
The US Digital Millennium Copyright Act
UNCITRAL Model Law on Arbitration
UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce
Answer: D.
2009 Rules
Section 69A: Blocking Orders
Blocking websites and posts
Section 69A of the IT Act allows the Central government to block public access to online content in the interest of sovereignty, security, public order and similar grounds, following the procedure in the 2009 Blocking Rules. It was upheld in Shreya Singhal (2015), and blocking orders are confidential.
Section 79: Safe Harbour
Protecting intermediaries
Section 79 of the IT Act protects intermediaries, such as social media platforms and internet service providers, from liability for third-party content if they observe due diligence and remove unlawful content on receiving a court order or government notification (as read down in Shreya Singhal).
2021
The IT Rules, 2021
Intermediaries and digital media
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 require significant social media intermediaries to appoint grievance, compliance and nodal officers, and require messaging services to enable identification of the "first originator" of certain messages. They also set up an oversight system for digital news and streaming platforms, parts of which High Courts have stayed.
2024
The Fact-Check Unit Struck Down
Kunal Kamra v. Union of India
A 2023 amendment to the IT Rules let a government fact-check unit flag online content about the Central government as "fake", requiring platforms to act on it. In September 2024 the Bombay High Court struck the provision down as unconstitutional after a split in its division bench was resolved by a third judge.
17 more entries under this heading
The Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee · Drafting a data protection law
CERT-In and Cyber Incident Reporting · Six hours to report
Reporting Cybercrime · Helpline 1930
Taxing Crypto · A 30% tax and 1% TDS
Electronic Evidence · Anvar P.V. and Arjun Panditrao
The Right to Be Forgotten · Erasing the past
Internet Shutdowns · The legal framework
Section 43 of the IT Act · Civil liability for unauthorised access and damage to computers
Section 66F: Cyber Terrorism · Punishable with imprisonment for life
Section 67: Obscene Material Online · Punishes publishing or transmitting obscene material electronically
Electronic Signatures · Legally equivalent to handwritten signatures
Cyber Appellate Tribunal Merged · Merged into the TDSAT
Ban on Chinese Apps · TikTok and 58 other apps blocked
Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre · The national centre against cybercrime, with helpline 1930
"Digital Arrest" Scams · There is no such thing as a digital arrest in Indian law
CCI's Android Penalty on Google · A ₹1,337 crore fine for abuse of dominance
Cyber Swachhta Kendra · A botnet cleaning and malware analysis centre
PlusAll 22 entries, and every heading in the LibraryYours from ₹1,499, till CLAT 2028See Plus
