The websites and applications related to the decennial Census exercise and the National Population Register (NPR) were on November 7 notified as “protected system” or “Critical Information Infrastructure” under the Section 70 of the Information Technology Act, 2008.
Key points
- The notification means that any tampering or unauthorised access to the data associated with Census applications, NPR database or the data centres of the Registrar General of India (RGI) will be punishable by 10 years imprisonment.
- The IT Act defines ‘critical information infrastructure’ as a computer resource whose inefficiency or loss has a devastating impact on national security, the economy, public health, or safety.
- According to the Act, anybody who secures or attempts to secure access to a protected system in violation of the requirements will face imprisonment for a term of up to ten years as well as a penalty.
