UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Centre set to summon Meta over child sexual abuse advertisements

Q1. Under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which single officer must a Significant Social Media Intermediary appoint as the person primarily responsible for ensuring compliance with the IT Act and the Rules?

  • A. Nodal Contact Person
  • B. Chief Compliance Officer
  • C. Resident Grievance Officer
  • D. Data Protection Officer

Q2. On a first conviction, the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed under Section 67B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 for publishing or transmitting material depicting children in sexually explicit acts is up to how many years?

  • A. Three years
  • B. Five years
  • C. Seven years
  • D. Ten years

Q3. The definition of 'child pornography' as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child, including computer-generated images indistinguishable from an actual child, is provided under which of the following provisions?

  • A. Section 67B of the Information Technology Act, 2000
  • B. Section 2(da) of the POCSO Act, 2012
  • C. Section 15 of the POCSO Act, 2012
  • D. Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Q4. With reference to the 2026 episode in which the Centre moved to summon Meta over child sexual abuse content, consider the following statements: 1. The Union IT Minister directed MeitY to summon Meta over advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material. 2. The advertisements appeared on Instagram and redirected users to Telegram channels. 3. The advertisements were surfaced by a BBC investigation which identified around 30 unique advertisements. 4. MeitY granted Meta enhanced safe-harbour immunity for the flagged advertisements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Union IT Minister directed MeitY to summon Meta over advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material.
  2. The advertisements appeared on Instagram and redirected users to Telegram channels.
  3. The advertisements were surfaced by a BBC investigation which identified around 30 unique advertisements.
  4. MeitY granted Meta enhanced safe-harbour immunity for the flagged advertisements.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q5. In 2026, under whose direction did the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology move to summon Meta and seek an explanation on advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material?

  • A. Amit Shah
  • B. Ashwini Vaishnaw
  • C. S. Jaishankar
  • D. Jyotiraditya Scindia

Q6. Under the IT Rules, 2021, each Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) constituted by the Central Government consists of how many members?

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

Q7. Consider the following statements regarding the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) mechanism under the IT Rules, 2021: 1. A user may file an appeal with the GAC within 30 days of the intermediary Grievance Officer's communication. 2. Each GAC comprises a chairperson and two whole-time members. 3. Complaints regarding removal of prohibited content are to be addressed within 72 hours. 4. The GAC functions as a physical tribunal requiring in-person hearings. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. A user may file an appeal with the GAC within 30 days of the intermediary Grievance Officer's communication.
  2. Each GAC comprises a chairperson and two whole-time members.
  3. Complaints regarding removal of prohibited content are to be addressed within 72 hours.
  4. The GAC functions as a physical tribunal requiring in-person hearings.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q8. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a statutory body constituted under which of the following legislations?

  • A. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015
  • B. The Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005
  • C. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012
  • D. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009

Q9. Which Union Ministry constituted and administers the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)?

  • A. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • C. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • D. Ministry of Education

Q10. In 2026, the European Commission issued a preliminary finding that Meta may be in breach of which regulation for failing to prevent under-13 users on Instagram and Facebook?

  • A. Digital Markets Act (DMA)
  • B. Digital Services Act (DSA)
  • C. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
  • D. EU Artificial Intelligence Act

Q11. Consider the following units and identify which are components of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C): 1. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. 2. National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit. 3. National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem. 4. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). Which of the above is/are correctly identified as components of I4C?

  1. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
  2. National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit.
  3. National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem.
  4. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4