UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Delhi HC asks Centre’s plan for regulating social media

Q1. With reference to the three-tier grievance redressal structure created under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 for publishers of news and curated online content, consider the following: 1. Level I consists of self-regulation by the publisher, which must appoint a Grievance Redressal Officer based in India to decide every grievance within fifteen days. 2. Level II consists of a self-regulatory body of publishers headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a High Court, or an independent eminent person, having not more than six members. 3. A Level II self-regulatory body is required to register itself with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which is also the ministry that administers this tier of the Rules. 4. Level III consists of an oversight mechanism formulated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Level I consists of self-regulation by the publisher, which must appoint a Grievance Redressal Officer based in India to decide every grievance within fifteen days.
  2. Level II consists of a self-regulatory body of publishers headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a High Court, or an independent eminent person, having not more than six members.
  3. A Level II self-regulatory body is required to register itself with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which is also the ministry that administers this tier of the Rules.
  4. Level III consists of an oversight mechanism formulated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. Consider the following statements comparing the obligations created by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 with the statutory scheme they operate within: 1. The Rules of 2021 were framed under the Information Technology Act, 2000, which was also the parent statute for the earlier intermediary guidelines rules of 2011 that they superseded. 2. The period within which an intermediary's Grievance Officer must dispose of a complaint is the same as the period within which a publisher's Level I Grievance Redressal Officer must decide a grievance. 3. Non-observance of the due diligence prescribed by the Rules of 2021 attracts a monetary penalty under the Rules, but leaves the intermediary's exemption from liability under the parent Act untouched. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Rules of 2021 were framed under the Information Technology Act, 2000, which was also the parent statute for the earlier intermediary guidelines rules of 2011 that they superseded.
  2. The period within which an intermediary's Grievance Officer must dispose of a complaint is the same as the period within which a publisher's Level I Grievance Redressal Officer must decide a grievance.
  3. Non-observance of the due diligence prescribed by the Rules of 2021 attracts a monetary penalty under the Rules, but leaves the intermediary's exemption from liability under the parent Act untouched.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Among the India-resident functionaries that a significant social media intermediary is required to appoint under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, the one who bears overall responsibility for ensuring that the intermediary adheres to the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made thereunder is the:

  • A. Nodal contact person engaged for round-the-clock liaison with law enforcement agencies
  • B. Chief Compliance Officer appointed by the significant social media intermediary
  • C. Resident Grievance Officer who discharges the grievance redressal functions
  • D. Data Protection Officer required to be appointed by a Significant Data Fiduciary

Q4. In the public interest litigation on which the Delhi High Court sought the Union Government's stand in September 2026, the principal relief prayed for was:

  • A. Constitution of an expert committee to examine engagement-maximising design features used by social media platforms
  • B. Notification of amendments to the IT Rules, 2021 obliging platforms to label synthetically generated media
  • C. Designation of all messaging platforms as significant social media intermediaries irrespective of registered user numbers
  • D. Withdrawal of the exemption from liability under Section 79 from platforms deploying personalised feeds

Q5. Consider the following statements contrasting the question placed before the Delhi High Court in September 2026 with the framework already in force under the IT Rules, 2021: 1. The grievance agitated relates to the architecture and interface design of platforms — infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmically personalised feeds and notification systems — rather than to any particular item of content hosted on them. 2. The IT Rules, 2021 already lay down binding design standards that exhaustively prohibit every engagement-maximising interface feature deployed by significant social media intermediaries. 3. All the platform entities arrayed as respondents — Meta Platforms, Alphabet, X and Telegram — are ones on which the flagged design features are alleged to operate. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The grievance agitated relates to the architecture and interface design of platforms — infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmically personalised feeds and notification systems — rather than to any particular item of content hosted on them.
  2. The IT Rules, 2021 already lay down binding design standards that exhaustively prohibit every engagement-maximising interface feature deployed by significant social media intermediaries.
  3. All the platform entities arrayed as respondents — Meta Platforms, Alphabet, X and Telegram — are ones on which the flagged design features are alleged to operate.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Sub-section (3) of Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 sets out the circumstances in which the exemption from liability shall not be available to an intermediary. How many such circumstances are enumerated in that sub-section?

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

Q7. Consider the following statements about India's statutory and programmatic framework on mental health: 1. The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 makes access to mental healthcare and treatment a statutory right and replaced the Mental Health Act, 1987. 2. The Act decriminalises the attempt to commit suicide, shifting the response from punishment to care and rehabilitation. 3. The Central Mental Health Authority was constituted under the Act through a notification in the Official Gazette in 2018. 4. The National Tele Mental Health Programme, known as Tele-MANAS, was launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 makes access to mental healthcare and treatment a statutory right and replaced the Mental Health Act, 1987.
  2. The Act decriminalises the attempt to commit suicide, shifting the response from punishment to care and rehabilitation.
  3. The Central Mental Health Authority was constituted under the Act through a notification in the Official Gazette in 2018.
  4. The National Tele Mental Health Programme, known as Tele-MANAS, was launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
  • A. 2 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q8. The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 was enacted, among other objects, to bring domestic law into conformity with which one of the following international instruments?

  • A. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • B. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  • C. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  • D. The World Health Organization's Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan

Q9. The 'Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023', which enumerate thirteen specified dark patterns, were issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority in exercise of the powers conferred by:

  • A. Section 10 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019
  • B. Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000
  • C. Section 18 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019
  • D. Section 94 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019

Q10. In the European Union's Digital Services Act, the expression 'very large online platform' denotes an online platform which:

  • A. has at least 45 million registered user accounts worldwide, irrespective of where those users are located
  • B. records an annual turnover within the Union exceeding 45 million euro in the preceding financial year
  • C. has more than 50 lakh registered users within any single Member State of the Union
  • D. has an average of at least 45 million monthly active recipients of the service within the Union