Why in News
Union Home Ministry issued average 290 online content takedown notices per day under Information Technology Act 2000, indicating rise in online regulation and cybersecurity threats.
Key Highlights
• 1,11,185 suspicious online content blocked in 2024 to 25
• 290 takedown notices per day issued by Home Ministry
• Social media platforms must remove content within 3 hours
• Sharp rise in cybersecurity incidents reported
Legal Provision
Section 79 of Information Technology Act 2000
Section 79(1)
• Provides Safe Harbour Protection
• Platforms not liable for user generated content
Section 79(3)(b)
• Safe harbour removed if
• Platform fails to remove flagged unlawful content
• Government can issue takedown notices
Nodal Agency
Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre I4C
• Designated on March 13, 2024
• Empowered to issue takedown notices
• Functions under Ministry of Home Affairs
Sahyog Portal
• Centralised portal for sending takedown notices
• Police agencies across India can issue requests
• Used to coordinate with social media platforms
3 Hour Rule
Social media platforms must Remove unlawful content Within 3 hours of receiving order. Order may come from Court, Government agency, and Law enforcement
Rise in Cybersecurity Incidents
- According to CERT In
- 2021: 14.02 lakh incidents
- 2022: 13.91 lakh incidents
- 2023: 15.92 lakh incidents
- 2024: 20.41 lakh incidents
- 2025: 29.44 lakh incidents
- Highest incidents reported from National Capital Territory of Delhi
What is CERT In
Indian Computer Emergency Response Team
• National cybersecurity agency
• Established under Section 70B of IT Act 2000
• Functions under Ministry of Electronics and IT
Functions
• Track cyber threats
• Issue alerts
• Incident response
• Cybersecurity coordination
| [2017] In India, it is legally mandatory for which of the following to report on cyber security incidents? 1 Service providers 2 Data Centres 3 Body corporate Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 |
