Overhaul of the IT Act, 2000

  • 10 Mar 2023

On March 10, 2023, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology informed that the proposed Digital India Act, 2023, will involve a comprehensive overhaul of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

  • The Act will cover aspects such as AI, deepfakes, cybercrime, competition issues among internet platforms, and data protection.(Deepfakes are digital media, including video, audio, and images, that have been manipulated using Artificial Intelligence to create hyper-realistic falsifications).
  • The 'safe harbour' principle, which allows intermediaries on the internet to avoid liability for posts made by third parties, will be reconsidered.
  • The Act will seek to address new complex forms of user harms such as catfishing, doxxing, trolling, and phishing.
  • Catfishing: Pretending to be someone else online in order to deceive others.
  • Doxxing: Publishing or revealing someone's private information online without their consent.
  • Trolling: Deliberately posting inflammatory or offensive messages online with the aim of provoking others.
  • Phishing: Attempting to trick people into giving away sensitive information or money through fraudulent emails, messages or websites.