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Current Affairs and GK · 6 questions · about 1 min to read

Digital India Act

Read the passage, answer the questions, then open each answer to check it. The explanation says why the right option is right.

The passage

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India's proposed Digital India Act (DIA) — intended to replace the Information Technology Act, 2000 — was under consultation in 2023 and 2024. The IT Act, enacted before social media existed as we now know it, has been stretched to cover platforms, intermediaries, and online harms that its drafters could not have anticipated. The DIA proposes a framework built around a classification of digital platforms by risk, with higher-risk platforms subject to more stringent obligations including algorithmic transparency, content moderation standards, and grievance redressal timelines.

A contested aspect of the proposals is the treatment of Section 79 immunity — the safe harbour provision that protects intermediaries from liability for third-party content hosted on their platforms, subject to compliance with due diligence obligations. Technology companies have argued that any narrowing of safe harbour would create incentives for platforms to over-censor content to avoid liability exposure. Civil liberties groups have argued that the existing safe harbour is too broad and allows platforms to profit from harmful content with inadequate accountability.

  1. Q1. Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, as described in the passage, provides:

    1. Criminal penalties for cyber fraud and identity theft
    2. A safe harbour immunity protecting intermediaries from liability for third-party content, subject to due diligence compliance
    3. The framework for government blocking of websites on national security grounds
    4. The right of users to request removal of their personal data from digital platforms
    Show answer

    Answer: B. A safe harbour immunity protecting intermediaries from liability for third-party content, subject to due diligence compliance

    The passage describes: 'the safe harbour provision that protects intermediaries from liability for third-party content hosted on their platforms, subject to compliance with due diligence obligations.'

  2. Q2. Technology companies' concern about narrowing the safe harbour is that:

    1. Stricter liability would make it economically unviable to operate platforms in India
    2. It would create incentives for platforms to over-censor content to avoid liability exposure
    3. It would lead to the migration of major platforms to countries with more permissive laws
    4. It would give government excessive power to direct content moderation decisions on private platforms
    Show answer

    Answer: B. It would create incentives for platforms to over-censor content to avoid liability exposure

    The passage states: 'Technology companies have argued that any narrowing of safe harbour would create incentives for platforms to over-censor content to avoid liability exposure.'

  3. Q3. The civil liberties critique of the current safe harbour under the IT Act is that:

    1. It allows government to hold platforms liable for any content it deems harmful
    2. The existing safe harbour is too broad and allows platforms to profit from harmful content with inadequate accountability
    3. It does not apply to foreign platforms, only to Indian ones
    4. The due diligence requirements are too burdensome for small platforms
    Show answer

    Answer: B. The existing safe harbour is too broad and allows platforms to profit from harmful content with inadequate accountability

    The passage states: 'Civil liberties groups have argued that the existing safe harbour is too broad and allows platforms to profit from harmful content with inadequate accountability.'

  4. Q4. The Digital India Act is proposed to replace which existing legislation?

    1. The Telegraph Act, 1885
    2. The Information Technology Act, 2000
    3. The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019
    4. The Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867
    Show answer

    Answer: B. The Information Technology Act, 2000

    The passage states: 'India's proposed Digital India Act (DIA) — intended to replace the Information Technology Act, 2000.'

  5. Q5. The concept of 'algorithmic transparency' proposed for higher-risk platforms under the DIA would most likely require:

    1. Platforms to disclose the source code of their recommendation algorithms to the government
    2. Platforms to explain to users or regulators how their algorithms rank, recommend, or filter content
    3. Platforms to use only algorithms that have been pre-approved by a government regulatory body
    4. Platforms to cease using personalised recommendation algorithms entirely
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Platforms to explain to users or regulators how their algorithms rank, recommend, or filter content

    Algorithmic transparency in digital regulation typically refers to the obligation to explain how algorithms make decisions — to users, regulators, or both — rather than disclosing source code or ceasing their use. This is applied GK from the passage context.

  6. Q6. The EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which India's DIA is partly modelled on, primarily regulates:

    1. Data protection and the rights of individuals over their personal data
    2. Digital intermediaries and online platforms, with obligations scaled by their size and risk
    3. Cross-border data flows and data localisation requirements
    4. Cybersecurity standards for critical digital infrastructure
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Digital intermediaries and online platforms, with obligations scaled by their size and risk

    The EU's Digital Services Act regulates digital intermediaries (platforms, hosting services, etc.) with obligations scaled by size and risk — the framework the passage describes India's DIA as being built around. The GDPR covers data protection. GK beyond the passage.

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