UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — MeitY signs Administrative Arrangement on Advanced Electronic Signatures and Seals with DG CONNECT of European Commission
Q1. Which one of the following is the apex authority that licenses and regulates all Certifying Authorities issuing Digital Signature Certificates in India?
- A. Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA)
- B. Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate
- C. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
- D. National Informatics Centre (NIC)
Q2. In the context of India's digital signature framework, the term 'Certifying Authority' most precisely refers to:
- A. an entity licensed by the Controller of Certifying Authorities to issue Digital Signature Certificates
- B. the single apex government body that itself directly issues all Digital Signature Certificates to citizens
- C. any government department that is authorised to accept electronically signed documents
- D. a private auditor that must independently verify every electronic transaction in the country
Q3. With reference to the evolution of signature law under the Information Technology Act, 2000, consider the following statements:
1. The Act originally gave legal recognition to digital signatures.
2. The technology-neutral concept of 'electronic signature' was introduced by the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008.
3. Section 3A of the Act deals with electronic signatures.
4. The 2008 amendment restricted electronic signatures exclusively to asymmetric cryptosystems and hash functions.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- The Act originally gave legal recognition to digital signatures.
- The technology-neutral concept of 'electronic signature' was introduced by the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008.
- Section 3A of the Act deals with electronic signatures.
- The 2008 amendment restricted electronic signatures exclusively to asymmetric cryptosystems and hash functions.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 2 and 3
Q4. The regime for electronic and digital signatures under the Information Technology Act, 2000 is operationalised through the Controller of Certifying Authorities, which functions under which Union ministry?
- A. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- B. Ministry of Communications
- C. Ministry of Home Affairs
- D. Ministry of Law and Justice
Q5. Under the EU's eIDAS Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 910/2014), a 'qualified electronic signature' is most precisely defined as:
- A. an advanced electronic signature created by a qualified signature-creation device and based on a qualified certificate for electronic signatures
- B. any scanned image of a handwritten signature attached to an electronic document
- C. a simple electronic signature that identifies the signatory using only a username and password
- D. an electronic seal issued to a legal person to guarantee the origin of data
Q6. With reference to the EU's eIDAS Regulation, consider the following statements:
1. It is Regulation (EU) No 910/2014.
2. It provides a legal framework for qualified electronic signatures and electronic seals.
3. It regulates trust service providers offering cross-border trust services.
4. It abolishes national trusted lists in favour of a single EU-wide trust service provider.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- It is Regulation (EU) No 910/2014.
- It provides a legal framework for qualified electronic signatures and electronic seals.
- It regulates trust service providers offering cross-border trust services.
- It abolishes national trusted lists in favour of a single EU-wide trust service provider.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 2 and 4
Q7. On the Indian side, the MeitY–DG CONNECT Administrative Arrangement on Advanced Electronic Signatures and Seals is to be implemented through which body?
- A. Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA)
- B. National Informatics Centre (NIC)
- C. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
- D. Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate
Q8. The Administrative Arrangement signed on 27 January 2026 in Brussels is notable as the first India–EU framework for the mutual recognition of which one of the following?
- A. trust services, namely advanced electronic signatures and electronic seals
- B. tariff concessions on electronics trade
- C. cross-border data localisation norms
- D. mutual visa recognition for IT professionals
Q9. With reference to the Working Groups set up under the India–EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), consider the following pairings:
1. Working Group 1 — Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity
2. Working Group 2 — Green and Clean Energy Technologies
3. Working Group 3 — Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains
4. Working Group 4 — Agriculture and Food Security
Which of the pairings given above is/are NOT correctly matched?
- Working Group 1 — Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity
- Working Group 2 — Green and Clean Energy Technologies
- Working Group 3 — Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains
- Working Group 4 — Agriculture and Food Security
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 2 and 3
Q10. How many Working Groups were established under the India–EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC)?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q11. On the EU side, the Administrative Arrangement on Advanced Electronic Signatures and Seals was signed by which Directorate-General of the European Commission?
- A. DG CONNECT — Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology
- B. DG TRADE — Directorate-General for Trade
- C. DG GROW — Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
- D. DG DIGIT — Directorate-General for Digital Services
Q12. Under the Administrative Arrangement, for cross-border validation India and the EU intend to link how many respective 'trusted lists' of recognised trust service providers?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five