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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?

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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What you will learn

  1. Start from zero

    • What the IT Act is4 cards
    • Legal words in plain English4 cards
    • Who is who online2 cards
    • Getting started2 cards

  2. Core basics

    • Scope and history of the Act2 cards
    • E-records, e-contracts and signatures3 cards
    • Hacking, tampering and cyber terrorism4 cards
    • Identity, fraud and privacy offences3 cards
    • Content offences and Section 66A2 cards
    • Intermediaries and safe harbour2 cards
    • Reporting and investigation3 cards
    • Company liability and the regulator2 cards

  3. Next steps

    • Section 43A and the SPDI Rules4 cards
    • Disclosure and preservation duties2 cards
    • Government powers: interception and blocking2 cards
    • Critical infrastructure and CERT-In3 cards
    • IT Rules 2021: intermediary due diligence4 cards
    • Grievances and appeals2 cards
    • Adjudication, evidence and procedure3 cards

  4. Go deeper

    • Significant social media intermediaries3 cards
    • Recent amendments and court rulings3 cards
    • CERT-In Directions 20226 cards
    • Records for VPN, cloud and crypto providers2 cards
    • Reach of the Act and other laws4 cards
    • Liability limits and the DPDP switch2 cards

Final test and certificate

10 questions drawn fresh from the whole topic, about 15 minutes. Sign in, score 80% or more and get a free certificate with your name and a public check link anyone can open, such as an employer or a teacher. Not signed in? Try a practice test from the cards.

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About these cards

  • Reviewed 26 October 2026
  • CoversIT Act 2000 as amended by the IT (Amendment) Act 2008IT Rules 2021 as amended up to February 2026 (in force 20 February 2026)SPDI Rules 2011CERT-In Directions of 28 April 2022DPDP Act 2023 commencement notification of 13 November 2025BNS and BSA 2023 (from 1 July 2024)
How these cards are made

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. 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. 2. Core basics (21 cards): The Act, the offences people meet most, and who enforces it.
  3. 3. Next steps (20 cards): Data protection, Government powers and the 2021 intermediary rules.
  4. 4. Go deeper (20 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
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