India's IT Act flashcards

India's cyber law, intermediary rules and CERT-In directions.

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India's IT ActStart from zero · 1 of 12

What is the IT Act, in one plain sentence?

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The Information Technology Act, 2000 is India's main law for life online: it makes e-signed documents valid and makes online crimes like hacking and fraud punishable.

One law for online papers and online crimes.

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All topics

India's IT Act at a glance

The IT Act is India's main law for electronic records, e-signatures and crimes done with computers.

It is the traffic rules of the Indian internet: what is allowed, what is an offence, who checks and what the penalty is.

Words you will meet

Section: A numbered part of the Act, like Section 66
Electronic record: Any document kept on a computer, like an email or a PDF
Personation: Pretending to be someone else to cheat a person
Consent: A person's clear permission
Intermediary: A service that carries or stores other people's content
Safe harbour: Protection from blame for users' posts when the rules are followed
CERT-In: India's national team that handles cyber attacks
Liable: Legally responsible for something

The steps

1. Start from zero (12 cards): What the IT Act is, where you meet it, and the plain meaning of the legal words the sections use.
2. Core basics (14 cards): The Act, the offences people meet most, and who enforces it.
3. Next steps (16 cards): Data protection, Government powers and the 2021 intermediary rules.
4. Go deeper (16 cards): Big platforms, CERT-In 2022 Directions and recent changes.

All 12 cards in Start from zero

What is the IT Act, in one plain sentence?: The Information Technology Act, 2000 is India's main law for life online: it makes e-signed documents valid and makes online crimes like hacking and fraud punishable.
What problem does the IT Act solve? What was it like before 2000?: Indian law only knew paper and ink. A contract sent by email, or a break-in to someone's computer, had no clear place in the law, so courts and police had little to work with.
Where do you already meet the IT Act in daily life?: Signing a loan with an Aadhaar e-sign, logging in with an OTP, reporting a fake bank call, or a social app removing a post after a complaint: the IT Act sits behind each one.
What everyday thing is the IT Act like?: Traffic rules for the internet. They say what is allowed, what counts as an offence, who checks, and what the fine or jail term is.
What are an Act, a section, rules and an amendment?: An Act is a law passed by Parliament, split into numbered sections like Section 66. Rules are detailed instructions the government issues under it, and an amendment is a later change to the Act.
What are an electronic record and an electronic signature?: An electronic record is any document kept on a computer, like an email or a PDF bill. An electronic signature (e-sign) is a digital way to sign it, such as an Aadhaar e-sign.
What do civil, criminal, compensation and liable mean?: Civil means the wrongdoer pays compensation, money to make up for the harm. Criminal means the state prosecutes and he can get jail or a fine. Liable means legally responsible.
What do identity theft, personation and consent mean?: Identity theft is using another person's password, OTP or ID as if it were yours. Personation is pretending to be someone else, like a fake bank officer. Consent is a person's clear permission.
What are an intermediary and safe harbour?: An intermediary is a service that carries or stores other people's content: telecom firms, internet providers, hosting, marketplaces, social apps. Safe harbour shields it from blame for users' posts if it follows the rules.
What are MeitY, CERT-In and a cyber incident?: MeitY is the central ministry that runs the IT Act. CERT-In is its national team that handles cyber attacks. A cyber incident is any attack or break-in, like ransomware locking files for money.
What do you need before starting, and what is a first tiny win?: Nothing to install and no law degree. Try this: open the help pages of a big social app and find its Grievance Officer. The IT Rules make intermediaries name one, and you just found the law at work.
What will you be able to do after this topic?: Name the right section for common online offences, judge whether your service is an intermediary, know what to report to CERT-In and when, and see when bosses can be held liable.

India's IT Act cheatsheet

Key sections

Sec 43 Damage to computer: compensation
Sec 43A Negligent with sensitive data: compensation
Sec 66 Sec 43 acts done dishonestly: crime
Sec 66C / 66D Identity theft / cheating by personation
Sec 66E Privacy: private images
Sec 67 / 67A / 67B Obscene / explicit / child abuse material
Sec 69 / 69A Interception / blocking
Sec 70 / 70B Protected systems / CERT-In
Sec 72A Leaking data from a contract
Sec 79 / 85 Safe harbour / company officers

Punishments

66, 72A Up to 3 years or 5 lakh or both
66C, 66D Up to 3 years and up to 1 lakh
66E Up to 3 years or 2 lakh or both
67 first Up to 3 years and 5 lakh
69, 69A Up to 7 years and fine
70 Up to 10 years and fine
70B(7) Up to 1 year or 1 lakh or both

IT Rules timelines (check latest)

3 hours Remove on court or government order (2026)
2 hours Non-consensual intimate images (2026)
24 hours Acknowledge a grievance
7 days Resolve grievance (reported 2026 change, was 15)
30 days Appeal to Grievance Appellate Committee
180 days Keep removed content data for investigation
50 lakh SSMI user threshold

CERT-In Directions 2022

6 hours Report incident
180 days ICT logs, rolling, in India
NTP NIC or NPL traceable time
5 years VPN, cloud, DC subscriber records
5 years Crypto KYC and transactions
POC Named Point of Contact