Computer Ethics & Cyber Law Questions with Solutions

Computer ethics is the set of moral principles that guide the responsible use of computers and the internet, while cyber law is the legal framework that deals with crimes and transactions in cyberspace. This topic covers ethical issues such as privacy, software piracy, plagiarism, intellectual property rights (copyright, patents and trademarks), software licences (proprietary, freeware, shareware and open source), netiquette and digital footprints. It also covers common cyber crimes, including hacking, identity theft, cyber stalking, cyber bullying, phishing and online fraud. On the legal side, the key law in India is the Information Technology Act, 2000, which gave legal recognition to electronic records and digital signatures and was significantly amended in 2008. Exam questions often ask about its important sections, such as Section 43 (penalty for damage to computer systems), Section 66 (computer-related offences), Section 66C (identity theft), Section 66D (cheating by personation) and Section 66F (cyber terrorism). Note that Section 66A was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015. Other facts asked include CERT-In as the national agency for responding to cyber security incidents and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Practise the computer ethics and cyber law questions below. Each answer includes an explanation.