Chapter 3 · Topic 3.2 · Prelims + Mains2 of 3
Communication Networks, Media & Social Networking: Social media
Key points
- Puttaswamy (2017) made privacy a fundamental right; the DPDP Act, 2023 is a consent-based law with a Data Protection Board; Rules came in 2025.
- The DPDP Act kept consent but dropped the Srikrishna report's strict data localisation.
- Social media risks: rumours and riots, extremist recruitment, data leaks, foreign influence; tools are Section 69A blocking and IT Rules 2021 traceability.
5 PYQs 2014–2026
Prelims box: facts and traps
| Year | Step |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Puttaswamy: privacy a fundamental right |
| 2018 | Srikrishna Committee draft bill |
| 2023 | DPDP Act; Data Protection Board |
| 2025 | DPDP Rules notified (phased start) |
- Trap: blocking of online content is under Section 69A of the IT Act; Section 66A was struck down in 2015.
Data protection
| 2017 | Puttaswamy judgment | Privacy is a fundamental right |
| 2018 | Srikrishna Committee report | Draft data protection bill |
| 2023 | Digital Personal Data Protection Act | Consent-based law; Data Protection Board |
| 2025 | DPDP Rules notified | Phased start |
Mains 2018 said data security has assumed significant importance in the digitized world due to rising cyber crimes and asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the Srikrishna Committee Report.
- Strengths: consent and purpose limitation (used only for the agreed reason), rights of the data principal (the person the data is about), an independent regulator and penalties.
- Weaknesses: wide exemptions for the State, strict data localisation (keeping data inside India) that raised costs, and no reform of surveillance law.
The DPDP Act, 2023 kept consent and a Board but dropped strict localisation.
Data security has assumed significant importance in the digitized world due to rising cyber crimes. The Justice B. N. Srikrishna Committee Report addresses issues related to data security. What, in your view, are the strengths and weaknesses of the Report relating to protection of personal data in cyber space?
What UPSC asks: Puttaswamy 2017, DPDP Act 2023.
Social media and security
Mains 2013 asked: What are social networking sites and what security implications do these sites present? Implications: rumours that spark riots, recruitment by extremists, leaks of sensitive data, and foreign influence operations. Non-state actors have misused them too, from the 2012 exodus of North-East people from Bengaluru after fake messages to online ISIS recruitment.
What are social networking sites and what security implications do these sites present?
Mains 2024 said social media and encrypting messaging services pose a serious security challenge. Encryption scrambles a message so only sender and receiver can read it (a sealed envelope).
- Measures: blocking powers under Section 69A of the IT Act, due-diligence duties under the IT Rules 2021, traceability of the first originator for large messaging services, CERT-In directions and State police social media labs.
- Remedies: platform cooperation, digital literacy, fact-checking and narrow, reviewable blocking orders.
Social media and encrypting messaging services pose a serious security challenge. What measures have been adopted at various levels to address the security implications of social media? Also suggest any other remedies to address the problem.
What UPSC asks: Section 69A, traceability.
Mains box: analysis and answer points
- Srikrishna report (Mains 2018, 15 marks): strengths (consent, rights, regulator) and weaknesses (State exemptions, localisation, surveillance).
- Social media and encryption (Mains 2024, 2013): threats, legal tools (69A, IT Rules 2021, traceability) and remedies.
- Next likely angle: privacy vs traceability.
Practice
Prelims PYQs on this topic (4)
In a multi-ethnic district where both economic competition and historical grievances frequently led to community tensions, a flashpoint has arisen with a Government decision to allocate land for a waste management facility near a tribal hamlet, sparking protests by the tribal community, which claimed that the land was sacred and critical to their cultural identity. At the same time, urban residents and local industries supported the project, citing severe solid waste challenges and health concerns due to lack of a proper disposal site. The conflict has escalated with road blockades, social media campaigns, and allegations of police excesses.
As a responsible Government official, you are tasked with resolving the situation through mediation, ensuring a sustainable outcome that balances environmental needs, tribal rights, and urban public health.
Consider the following statements with reference to the above :
- 1. A successful conflict resolution process must begin with acknowledging the cultural concerns of the protesting tribal community before discussing technical alternatives.
- 2. The Government should move ahead with the project without delay to address urban health concerns, which outweigh the sentiments of a small group.
- 3. Creating a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform — including tribal leaders, environmental experts, and municipal representatives — to build mutual understanding and help de-escalate tensions.
- 4. Conducting an independent Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and sharing findings transparently with both sides to facilitate evidence-based decision-making.
Which of the statements given above would contribute to the resolution process ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Statements 1, 3 and 4 help resolve the conflict (a). The task is mediation. Statement 1 is right: acknowledging the tribal community's cultural concerns first builds trust before any technical talk. Statement 3 is right: a multi-stakeholder platform of tribal leaders, experts and municipal officials brings all sides to one table and lowers tension. Statement 4 is right: an independent ESIA, shared openly, allows evidence-based decisions. Statement 2 is wrong: pushing the project through and calling a community's concern "sentiments of a small group" ends dialogue. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the legal backdrop: the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and PESA, 1996 give Gram Sabhas a say over land and sacred sites, as the Niyamgiri case (2013) showed.
one option that sounds firm and practical. In a mediation question, anything that shuts out one party is out.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Not every voice on the internet commands the same kind of audience. When anonymous private entities with high capital can pay for more space for their opinions, they are effectively buying a louder voice. If political discourse in the digital sphere is a matter of outshining one’s opponent till the election is won, then the quality of politics suffers. The focus of social media is restricted to the promotion of content that generates more user engagement, regardless of how inflammatory the content may be.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the above passage?
Answer (b) & explanation
The central idea is that social media are profit-making products, not moral institutions (b). Step 1: the passage says rich entities can pay for space and buy "a louder voice". Step 2: it also says platforms push content that brings engagement, "regardless of how inflammatory" it is. Both show a business that seeks profit, not fairness. Step 3: options (a), (c) and (d) praise social media (instant information, stronger democracy, a necessary part of life). The passage is critical, so they fail.
Tip: first decide the tone of the passage: positive or critical. Then drop every option with the opposite tone. This one passage is critical throughout.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following statements about Crowdfunding is/are correct ?
- 1. Crowdfunding is solicitation of funds (small amount) from multiple investors through a web-based platform or social networking site for a specific project.
- 2. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are able to raise funds at lower cost of capital without undergoing rigorous procedures.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). Statement 1 is right: crowdfunding means raising small sums from many investors through an online platform or social media for a specific project. Statement 2 is right: it lets start-ups and SMEs raise money at a lower cost and with fewer procedures than a bank loan or public issue. Both lines come almost word for word from SEBI's 2014 consultation paper. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the types: donation-based (like Ketto for medical bills), reward-based, debt-based (peer-to-peer lending, regulated by the RBI since 2017), and equity-based. SEBI has not yet allowed equity crowdfunding in India, warning platforms against it.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The terms 'Marginal Standing Facility Rate' and 'Net Demand and Time Liabilities', sometimes appearing in news, are used in relation to
Answer (a) & explanation
Both terms belong to banking operations (a). The Marginal Standing Facility (2011) lets banks borrow overnight from the RBI in an emergency against government securities, at a rate above the repo rate; it forms the ceiling of the policy corridor. Net Demand and Time Liabilities are a bank's deposits and certain other liabilities; the CRR and SLR are calculated as a share of NDTL. The other options are unrelated fields.
The floor of the corridor is now the Standing Deposit Facility (2022). Notice how these tools let the RBI keep the overnight call rate close to the repo rate.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Mains PYQs on this topic (1)
Write an answer
In 150 words, explain the significance of Communication Networks, Media & Social Networking with one recent example.
Flashcards (5)
Privacy fundamental right case?
Puttaswamy, 2017.
Srikrishna Committee report?
2018.
DPDP Act year?
2023.
DPDP regulator?
Data Protection Board.
IT Rules notified?
2021.
In the news
- 25 Oct 2026Vehicle data sold for ₹5: Centre orders CERT-In audit of VAHAN, SARATHI and e-Challan portals
- 23 Oct 2026Prasar Bharati at 29: why India’s public broadcaster still lacks the autonomy its law promised
- 22 Oct 2026eMudhra weak-key flaw: browsers block 8 certificates; what it means for India’s web trust
- 21 Oct 2026Open-weight AI models: why Big Tech gives them away and what it means for India
Next topic · 3.3 →Communication Networks, Media & Social Networking: Fake news and the IT RulesSyllabus: GS-III · Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media an…