First cyberlaw which provides the legal infrastructure for e-commerce in India is
- (a)The Information Technology Act, 1996
- (b)The Information Technology Act, 2000
- (c)The Information Technology Act, 1998
- (d)The Information Technology Act, 1990
Correct — B, The Information Technology Act, 2000. It is India's first cyber law. Modelled on the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce (1996), it gave legal recognition to electronic records, digital signatures and online transactions — the legal infrastructure that makes e-commerce enforceable. It received presidential assent in June 2000 and came into force on 17 October 2000.
- (a)The Information Technology Act, 1996 — The trap — 1996 is the year of the UNCITRAL Model Law on E-Commerce that India's Act drew upon, but no Indian 'IT Act 1996' exists.
- (c)The Information Technology Act, 1998 — No such Indian statute exists; India's IT Act is dated 2000.
- (d)The Information Technology Act, 1990 — No such Indian statute exists; the internet-era IT Act came only in 2000.
The Information Technology Act, 2000 is the foundational statute of Indian cyber law. It legally recognises electronic records and digital signatures, provides for Certifying Authorities, defines cyber offences and penalties, and thereby creates the legal framework within which e-commerce and e-governance operate. It was substantially amended in 2008 to add data-protection, cyber-terrorism and intermediary-liability provisions.
All four options name the same Act with different years, so the question is purely about the date. The tempting wrong answer is 1996 — the year of the UN model law the Indian Act is based on — but the Indian statute itself is the IT Act, 2000.
- The IT Act, 2000 is India's first cyber law
- It is based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce, 1996
- It came into force on 17 October 2000
- It gives legal recognition to electronic records and digital signatures; it was amended in 2008
The Information Technology Act, 2000 (in force 17 Oct 2000) is India's first cyber law; 1996 refers only to the UN model law it was based on.
- Choosing 1996 by confusing the UN model law's year with the Indian Act's year
- Assuming the year the Act was 'passed' differs from when it 'came into force' (assent 2000; enforced 17 Oct 2000)
MPPSC and UPSC ask either for the year/name of India's first cyber law or for specific provisions it introduced (digital signatures, Certifying Authorities, CERT-In); lock 'first cyber law = IT Act, 2000.'
Consider the following statements. A digital signature is 1. An electronic record that identifies the certifying authority issuing it 2. Used to serve as a proof of identity of an individual to access information or server on Internet 3. An electronic method of signing an electronic document and ensuring that the original content is unchanged Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(c) 3 only — a digital signature is an electronic method of signing a document that ensures its content is unchanged.
Same statute — it is the IT Act, 2000 that legally recognised digital signatures, the very e-commerce infrastructure this question is about.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Information Technology Act, 2000 was primarily modelled on which international instrument?
- (a)UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce
- (b)The GATT Agreement
- (c)The Berne Convention
- (d)The TRIPS Agreement
Answer(a) UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce (1996) — the basis for India's IT Act, 2000.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Information Technology Act, 2000 was substantially amended in which year to add provisions on data protection and cyber-terrorism?
- (a)2005
- (b)2008
- (c)2011
- (d)2015
Answer(b) 2008 — the IT (Amendment) Act, 2008 introduced these provisions.