34. Indian Cyber Law and Cyber Crime Awareness
34.1 More IT Act Sections You Should Know
Chapter 18 covered sections 43 and 66 to 66F. These are the other sections that come up often:
| Section | What it covers (in simple words) |
|---|---|
| 65 | Tampering with computer source code |
| 67 / 67A / 67B | Publishing or sending obscene material electronically; sexually explicit material; child sexual abuse material (the most serious) |
| 69 | Government power to intercept, monitor or decrypt information in specified situations |
| 69A | Government power to block public access to online content |
| 70 / 70B | Protected systems (critical infrastructure); CERT-In as the national incident response agency |
| 72 / 72A | Breach of confidentiality and privacy; disclosure of personal information in breach of a lawful contract |
| 79 | "Safe harbour" for intermediaries (platforms) if they follow due-diligence rules |
| 66A | Was struck down by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015) – nobody can be booked under it |
The IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 tell platforms how fast to remove unlawful content and to appoint grievance officers.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Interviewers sometimes ask a trick question: "Can a case be filed under 66A?" The answer: no – in 2015 the Supreme Court struck down 66A (the Shreya Singhal case). Quoting an old or struck-down section is a common mistake, so check the official text.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
Interview मध्ये "66A खाली case होतो का?" असा प्रश्न trick म्हणून विचारतात. उत्तर: नाही – 2015 मध्ये Supreme Court ने 66A रद्द केला (Shreya Singhal case). जुना किंवा रद्द झालेला section सांगणे ही common mistake आहे, म्हणून official text मधून तपासा.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
Interview में "66A के तहत case होता है क्या?" ऐसा सवाल trick के तौर पर पूछते हैं. जवाब: नहीं – 2015 में Supreme Court ने 66A रद्द कर दिया (Shreya Singhal case). पुराना या रद्द हुआ section बताना common mistake है, इसलिए official text से जाँचो.
Practice task
On indiacode.gov.in open the Information Technology Act, 2000 and read sections 67, 72 and 79. For each, write one realistic example using a fictional Maharashtra business (for example "Sahyadri Travels").