GS Paper III — Q20
Social media and encrypting messaging services pose a serious security challenge. What measures have been adopted at various…
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. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
सोशल मीडिया एवं 'को गोपित' (एनक्रिप्टेड) संदेश सेवाएँ गंभीर सुरक्षा चुनौती हैं। सोशल मीडिया के सुरक्षा निहितार्थों को संबोधित करते हुए विभिन्न स्तरों पर क्या उपाय अपनाए गए हैं? इस समस्या को संबोधित करते हुए अन्य किन्हीं उपायों का भी सुझाव दीजिए। (उत्तर 250 शब्दों में दीजिए)
Model answer
Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.
Social media and end-to-end encrypted messaging services have aggravated internal security challenges by enabling swift radicalisation, disinformation campaigns, cyber terrorism, and transnational crime networks.
Measures Adopted at Various Levels
Globally, normative frameworks such as the UN Group of Governmental Experts (UN GGE) norms, the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, and emerging platform accountability frameworks foster cross-border regulatory consensus.
Nationally, India exercises powers under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 to block public access to unlawful content. The Information Technology Rules, 2021 mandate significant social media intermediaries to ensure originator traceability, establish three-tier grievance redressal mechanisms, and appoint resident compliance officers. The proposed Digital India Act aims to further modernise intermediary liabilities and algorithmic governance.
At the platform level, intermediaries deploy AI-driven content moderation policies, publish periodic transparency reports, and navigate the end-to-end encryption debate to reconcile user privacy with state demands for lawful interception.
Suggested Remedies
First, India should establish an independent, specialised social media regulator to ensure objective, transparent, and non-partisan platform oversight. Second, algorithmic accountability must be made legally mandatory to audit proprietary algorithms that amplify inflammatory content. Third, nationwide digital literacy and cyber hygiene programmes must be scaled to build societal resilience against weaponised fake news. Fourth, international cooperation mechanisms must be revamped, including modernising Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) to enable real-time cross-border evidentiary access for encrypted crimes.
Moving forward, regulatory remedies must maintain a delicate balance between national security and the fundamental right to privacy, adhering strictly to the proportionality principle established in the K.S. Puttaswamy judgment.
What "Suggest" is asking you to do
Propose measures that attach to the causes the question has just had you identify. Each should name who acts, on what, and why it would work; a measure with no actor behind it is a wish rather than a suggestion.
Structure that answers it
The problem in one line → measure 1 with the cause it addresses → measure 2 → measure 3 → how it would be implemented and what it requires
Where marks are lost
Prescriptions that would fit any question on any subject — awareness campaigns, capacity building, better coordination. The examiner checks whether each measure is traceable to a cause the answer itself named.
How this answer will be evaluated
Approach
Framework: Security: classify threat, vulnerability, response; stay calm. suggest: the problem in one line > implementable measures > who acts > conclusion Full marks: Detailed measures across legal, institutional, and individual levels with specific remedies for encryption.
Key points expected
- Measures at legal level (IT Act, PDPB, rules)
- Measures at institutional level (CERT-In, MeitY, platforms)
- Measures at individual/developmental level (awareness, tech)
- Specific other remedies for encryption challenges
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Measures adopted at various levels to address security implications of social media and other remedies. 15 marks · 250 words
suggest— the problem in one line → implementable measures → who acts → conclusion
Must cover
- Measures at legal level (IT Act, PDPB, rules)
- Measures at institutional level (CERT-In, MeitY, platforms)
- Measures at individual/developmental level (awareness, tech)
- Specific other remedies for encryption challenges
Loses marks
- Generic 'awareness' without specific schemes
- Ignoring the 'encryption' aspect of the prompt
- Aspirational solutions not implementable by govt
Earns more
- Mention of IT Rules 2021 or 2023
- Reference to CERT-In guidelines
- Discussion on end-to-end encryption vs. backdoors
- Mention of social media literacy initiatives
Extra mark
- Reference to specific recent cyber-attack data
- Mention of specific international cooperation (e.g., Budapest Convention)
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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