UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Far from a safe harbour

Q1. Which one of the following sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000 is the principal statutory provision that confers 'safe harbour' immunity on an intermediary for third-party information it hosts?

  • A. Section 66A
  • B. Section 69A
  • C. Section 79
  • D. Section 43A

Q2. Consider the following statements comparing Section 69A and Section 66A of the IT Act, 2000: 1. Section 69A empowers the government to block public access to online content, whereas Section 66A criminalised the sending of offensive messages through communication services. 2. Section 66A was struck down in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India, while Section 69A was upheld in the same judgment. 3. Both Section 66A and Section 69A were struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Section 69A empowers the government to block public access to online content, whereas Section 66A criminalised the sending of offensive messages through communication services.
  2. Section 66A was struck down in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India, while Section 69A was upheld in the same judgment.
  3. Both Section 66A and Section 69A were struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Under the rules framed for Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, a direction to an intermediary to block public access to online content is issued by which one of the following authorities?

  • A. Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
  • B. The Cabinet Secretary
  • C. Director, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre
  • D. Chairperson, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021: 1. Intermediaries must acknowledge a user's complaint within 24 hours. 2. Grievances must ordinarily be disposed of within 15 days. 3. A significant social media intermediary must appoint a Chief Compliance Officer, a nodal contact person and a resident Grievance Officer. 4. Appeals against a Grievance Officer's decision lie before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Intermediaries must acknowledge a user's complaint within 24 hours.
  2. Grievances must ordinarily be disposed of within 15 days.
  3. A significant social media intermediary must appoint a Chief Compliance Officer, a nodal contact person and a resident Grievance Officer.
  4. Appeals against a Grievance Officer's decision lie before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q5. Under the IT Rules, 2021, a significant social media intermediary is required to appoint how many designated officers, each of whom must be resident in India?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Five
  • D. Seven

Q6. Consider the following statements about the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026: 1. Intermediaries must remove unlawful content within three hours of a court order or a reasoned intimation by the appropriate Government or its agency. 2. The rules specifically address 'synthetically generated information', including deepfakes. 3. Intermediaries must deploy automated tools to prevent the creation or dissemination of unlawful synthetically generated information. 4. The rules abolish safe harbour under Section 79 for all intermediaries. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Intermediaries must remove unlawful content within three hours of a court order or a reasoned intimation by the appropriate Government or its agency.
  2. The rules specifically address 'synthetically generated information', including deepfakes.
  3. Intermediaries must deploy automated tools to prevent the creation or dissemination of unlawful synthetically generated information.
  4. The rules abolish safe harbour under Section 79 for all intermediaries.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. Consider the following statements comparing the 2026 amendment to the IT Rules with the original 2021 framework: 1. The 2026 amendment compresses the removal timeline for unlawful content to three hours, down from the longer window applicable under the earlier framework. 2. Unlike the original 2021 Rules, the 2026 amendment specifically regulates synthetically generated information such as deepfakes. 3. The 2026 amendment does away with any requirement of a government or court order before takedown, permitting intermediaries to act purely at their own discretion. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2026 amendment compresses the removal timeline for unlawful content to three hours, down from the longer window applicable under the earlier framework.
  2. Unlike the original 2021 Rules, the 2026 amendment specifically regulates synthetically generated information such as deepfakes.
  3. The 2026 amendment does away with any requirement of a government or court order before takedown, permitting intermediaries to act purely at their own discretion.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. With reference to judicial scrutiny of online content regulation in India, which of the following is/are correctly identified? 1. In Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015), the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the IT Act. 2. In the same judgment, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 69A. 3. The Court held that intermediaries may disable content only upon an order of a court or the appropriate Government or its agency. 4. The Bombay High Court upheld the Fact-Check Unit amendment to the IT Rules, 2021 as consistent with Article 19. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. In Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015), the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the IT Act.
  2. In the same judgment, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 69A.
  3. The Court held that intermediaries may disable content only upon an order of a court or the appropriate Government or its agency.
  4. The Bombay High Court upheld the Fact-Check Unit amendment to the IT Rules, 2021 as consistent with Article 19.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4