Cyber Laws and Digital Payments
Information Technology Act, 2000
India's main cyber law. It came into force on 17 October 2000 and was amended in 2008. It gives legal recognition to electronic records and digital signatures and defines cyber offences.
| Section | Subject |
|---|---|
| 43 | Damage to a computer or system without permission (compensation) |
| 66 | Computer-related offences, including hacking |
| 66C | Identity theft |
| 66D | Cheating by personation using a computer |
| 66E | Violation of privacy (private images) |
| 66F | Cyber terrorism |
| 67 | Publishing obscene material electronically |
| 69 | Government powers of interception and monitoring |
| 72 | Breach of confidentiality and privacy |
Section 66A (offensive messages) was struck down by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015) as it violated free speech.
Institutions and other laws
- CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is the national agency for cyber incidents, under MeitY.
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: cybercrime.gov.in. Helpline: 1930 for financial cyber fraud.
- Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 governs the processing of personal data.
- Copyright protects software. Piracy is illegal copying. Patents protect inventions.
Digital payments
| System | Facts |
|---|---|
| NPCI | National Payments Corporation of India, set up in 2008. Runs UPI, RuPay, IMPS and others. |
| UPI | Unified Payments Interface. Launched in 2016. Instant, 24 x 7, uses a VPA (UPI ID) and a UPI PIN. |
| IMPS | Immediate Payment Service. 24 x 7 bank transfer. |
| NEFT | National Electronic Funds Transfer. Settled in batches. 24 x 7 now. |
| RTGS | Real Time Gross Settlement. For large-value transfers (minimum ₹2 lakh). |
| BHIM | Government UPI app. |
| RuPay | Indian card network. |
| AePS | Aadhaar Enabled Payment System. |
| USSD | UPI without internet on basic phones: dial *99#. |
Keep practising
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