Science

and
Tech

Arvind Singh Rajpurohit

Theme : Information Technology
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About Me!
• UPSC Journey : • Work Experience : I have more than 8
1. Given 5 Mains of UPSC CSE years of teaching experience
2. In 2019 UPSC Prelims scored 143.34/200 1. Currently , working as Joint Director in
Marks H.V. Desai Competitive Exam Centre
3. In 2018 Scored 296/500 marks in Political 2. Have taught various subjects in different
Science and International Relations institutes of Pune such as Jnana
4. In 2016 total of all GS Subjects : 426/1000 Prabodhini , Pune University CEC etc
Marks 3. Worked as Associate Software Engineer
at Symantec.
• Subject Taught :
1. Theme-Wise/Weekly Current Affairs • Educational Qualification :
2. Political Science and International 1. BE- IT from Pune Institute of Computer
Relations Technology
3. GS 2 – Polity, Governance and 2. LLB from New Law College Pune
International Relations 3. MA – in History and Political Science
4. Science and Technology 4. UGC- NET JRF in Political Science
5. MBA in Finance from Pune University

Other Interests :
1. Travelling : Travelled 10 Countries , more than 15 Indian
states
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2. Watching TV Series
Arvind_unacademy 3
UPSC 2018
• When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning, you wake up and tap it to
stop the alarm which causes your geyser to be switched on automatically. The smart
mirror in your bathroom shows the day’s weather and also indicates the level of water
in your overhead tank. After you take some groceries from your refrigerator for making
breakfast, it recognises the shortage of stock in it and places an order for the supply of
fresh grocery items. When you step out of your house and lock the door, all lights, fans,
geysers and AC machines get switched off automatically. On your way to office, your
car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and suggests an alternative route, and if
you are late for a meeting, it sends a- message to your office accordingly. In the context
of emerging communication technologies, which one of the following term” best
applies to the above scenario?
a) Border Gateway Protocol
b) Internet of Things
c) Internet Protocol
d) Virtual Private Network

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 Internet of Things (IoT)
• The internet of things (IoT) is a concept that describes the idea
of everyday physical objects being connected to the internet.
• In the Internet of Things, the connected devices should be able
to identify themselves to other devices.
• Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept where Things can talk to
other Things!
• IPv6's (16 bytes or 128bits) huge increase in address space is an
important factor in the development of the Internet of Things.
• Now we can assign IP address to every atom on the surface of
the earth more than 100 times.
• Examples of ‘things’ which can be connected to internet
include:
1. Connected Wearables – Smartwatches, Smart glasses, fitness
bands etc.
2. Connected Homes – connecting household appliances to the
network.
3. Connected Cars – vehicles that are connected to the internet.
4. Connected Cities – smart meters which analyse usage of water,
gas, electricity etc connect cities to IoT
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Applications
i) Health Care Sector: IoT can be used b. Self-Driving Cars – will need IOT for real
to complement the life-critical time decisions
systems thereby increasing the c. Traffic Management – real time traffic
reliability and performance of the data -> better traffic management.
latter. For e.g. IOT based devices can iv) Energy Management
be used in combination with cardiac a. Managing temperature in a Nuclear
monitor to raise an alarm to the Power Plant (using sensors and IoT)
doctors in case of an abnormality. b. Real time efficiency analysis of Solar
Power panels.
ii) Agriculture Sector: IoT can be used
to gather live pedological data that v) Research and Development:
can be used by scientists to improve a. E.g. – Recent development of wireless
the yield of the land. It can also help communication system for satellites by
in implementing precision NASA through which Satellites can
agriculture. communicate with each other
iii) Transportation Sector: vi) Safety and Security
a. Real time tracking of criminals – using
a. Early detection of wear and tear tagging and IoT.
(preventing accidents)

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• Some Limitations of IoT ➢Support to IoT based MSME sectors is
➢High Initial cost of set up -> Since IoT is also being provided of upto Rs 6 lakh
based on expensive sensors per enterprise per year.
➢Increased cyber security concerns -> ➢Government is also planning to include
with increased number of devices IoT as a new subject in B-Tech, M-Tech
connected to internet and PhD courses.
➢Compatibility issues -> due to lack of • Way Forward
the international standardization on ➢Framing of Guidelines -> Currently
IoT devices. India lacks an official set of guidelines
• IoT in India on the use and spread of IoT
technology. This is required to help
➢Looking at the immense potential of India achieve its full potential in IoT.
IoT, the GoI has decided to embrace
the technology in a big way. ➢Promote Exploration of IoT by more
financial allocation to this sector. The
➢Government is targeting to set up IoT impact of IoT is going to be huge and
industry worth $15 billion by 2020. It it’s important that India should be
has also planned to allocate a grant of ready for it.
18 crore over a period of five years in
the initial stage to promote R&D in this ➢Strengthening Cyber Security
area. Framework

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Virtual Reality and
Augmented Reality
• What is Virtual Reality-
➢Virtual reality is all about the creation
of a virtual world that users can
interact with.
➢This virtual world should be designed
in such a way that users would find it
difficult to tell the difference from
what is real and what is not.
➢Furthermore, VR is usually achieved
by the wearing of a VR helmet or
goggles similar to the Oculus Rift.

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• What is Augmented Reality-
➢Augmented reality is the blending of virtual reality and real life, as developers can
create images within applications that blend in with contents in the real world.
➢With AR, users are able to interact with virtual contents in the real world, and are
able to distinguish between the two.
➢The best example of AR can be – ‘Pokemon Go’.
• Difference and similarities-
➢Both virtual reality and augmented reality are similar in the goal of immersing the
user, though both systems to this in different ways.
➢With AR, users continue to be in touch with the real world while interacting with
virtual objects around them.
➢With VR, the user is isolated from the real world while immersed in a world that is
completely fabricated.
➢As it stands, VR might work better for video games and social networking in a virtual
environment, such as Second Life, or even PlayStation Home

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UPSC 2019
• In the context of digital technologies for entertainment, consider the following statements:
1. In Augmented Reality (AR), a simulated environment is created and the physical world is
completely shut out.
2. In Virtual Reality (VR), images generated from a computer are projected onto real-life objects
or surroundings.
3. AR allows individuals to be present in the world and improves the experience using the camera
of smart-phone or PC.
4. VR closes the world, and transposes an individual, providing complete immersion experience.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 3 and 4
c) 1, 2 and 3
d) 4 only

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 Metaverse
• Why in News?
➢The race between technology companies to build
the ‘metaverse’ has officially started. On October
28, 2021, Facebook Inc. announced that it was
restructuring and assuming the corporate name,
Meta Platforms Inc.
• What is “Metaverse”?
➢It is a network of always-on virtual
environments in which many people can interact
with one another and digital objects through
virtual representations of themselves.
➢The term may also refer to digital spaces which are
made more lifelike by the use of virtual reality (VR)
or augmented reality (AR).
➢There is also a specific type of metaverse which
uses blockchain technology. In these, users can buy
virtual land and other digital assets using
cryptocurrencies.
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What are the key aspects of a Metaverse?
• Presence is the feeling of actually being in a virtual space, with virtual
others. This sense of presence is achieved through virtual reality (VR)
technologies such as head-mounted displays. It improves the quality
of online interactions.
• Interoperability means being able to seamlessly travel between
virtual spaces with the same virtual assets. That is, one virtual
representation created, can be used in different virtual worlds.
• Standardization- These are common technological standards that are
essential for widespread adoption. This enables interoperability of
platforms and services across the metaverse.

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Why there’s an increased interest in Metaverse?
• A decentralised Web: Web 3.0 is the name • Multidimensional interactions: Moreover,
given to the next generation of Internet at the moment, people interact with each
architecture. It will be free from the other online by going to websites such as
centralisation that is a part of today’s Web social media platforms or using messaging
2.0 Internet systems, which are largely applications. The idea of the metaverse is
controlled by tech giants such as Google, that it will create new online spaces in
Facebook and Amazon. Web 3.0 will entail which people’s interactions can be more
the use of technologies such as blockchains multi-dimensional.
and tokens to create a decentralised
Internet for online interaction and online • The pandemic effect: The accelerated
interest in the metaverse can be seen as a
payments. result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As more
• A hypothetical metaverse run on these people have started working and going to
platforms could be a good example of what school remotely, there has been increased
an ideal future digital environment could demand for ways to make online interaction
look like. more lifelike.
• ‘Creator economy’ will become a reality in
the metaverse thanks to the popularity of
NFTs (non-fungible tokens). NFTs will allow
proof of ownership of digital assets, for
example, virtual goods, paintings and
memorabilia. 15
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 Web 3.0
• World Wide Web, which is also known as a Web, is
a collection of websites or web pages stored in web
servers and connected to local computers through
the internet.
• These websites contain text pages, digital images,
audios, videos, etc. Users can access the content of
these sites from any part of the world over the
internet using their devices such as computers,
laptops, cell phones, etc.
• Web 3.0 is a decentralized internet to be run
on blockchain technology, which would be different
from the versions in use, Web 1.0 and Web 2.0.
• In Web3, users will have ownership stakes in
platforms and applications unlike now where tech
giants control the platforms.
➢ Gavin Wood, founder of Ethereum, a block chain
technology company, used the term Web3 first in 2014
and in the past few years many others have added to
the idea of Web3.
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Previous Versions:
• Web 1.0: • Web 2.0:
➢Web 1.0 is the world wide web or the ➢Web 2.0 started in some form in the
internet that was invented in 1989. It late 1990s itself though 2004 was
became popular from 1993. It lasted when most of its features were fully
until 1999. available. It is still the age of Web 2.0
➢The internet in the Web 1.0 days was now.
mostly static web pages where users ➢The differentiating characteristic of
would go to a website and then read Web 2.0 compared to Web 1.0 is
and interact with the static that users can create content.
information. ➢They can interact and contribute in the
➢Even though there were e- form of comments, registering likes,
commerce websites in the initial days it sharing and uploading their photos or
was still a closed environment and the videos and perform other such
users themselves could not create any activities.
content or post reviews on the ➢Primarily, a social media kind of
internet. interaction is the differentiating trait of
Web 2.0.
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Significance of Web 3.0:
• Decentralized and Fair Internet: Web3 will deliver a decentralized and fair
internet where users control their own data.
• Eliminates Intermediaries: With block chain, the time and place of the
transaction are recorded permanently.
➢Thus, Web3 enables peer to peer (seller to buyer) transactions by eliminating the
role of the intermediary. This concept can be extended to
• Decentralization and Transparency: The spirit of Web3 is Decentralized
Autonomous Organization (DAO).
➢DAO is all about the business rules and governing rules in any transaction are
transparently available for anyone to see and software will be written conforming to
these rules.
➢With DAO, there is no need for a central authority to authenticate or validate.

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UPSC 2022
With reference to Web 3.0, consider the following statements :
1. Web 3.0 technology enables people to control their own data.
2. In the Web 3.0 world, there can be blockchain based social networks.
3. Web 3.0 is operated by users collectively rather than a corporation.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
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 What is NFT ?
• NFT stands for non-fungible token, a type of digital asset
that can be used to represent real-world objects such as
art, music, in-game items, and videos. They're bought and
sold online, often with cryptocurrency, and they're usually
encoded with the same software as many other cryptos.
• Money, for example, is fungible, meaning that one rupee
is equal to another rupee. A non-fungible token is not
equivalent to another non-fungible token by definition.
This means that each NFT is one-of-a-kind or part of a very
small run, and has its own identifying code.
• In today's world, where everything is being digitised,
purchasing an NFT provides the buyer with proof of
ownership of a specific digital asset. This means that on
the specific blockchain network where the NFT operates,
everyone knows and can see who owns the NFT.
• Furthermore, it includes built-in authentication, which
serves as proof of ownership. Collectors value "digital
bragging rights" nearly as much as the item itself. Because
ownership can be transferred to another person.
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 Big Data
• Big Data simply refers to a large amount of
data which is of structured, semi-
structured or unstructured nature.
• The data pool is so voluminous that it
becomes difficult for an organization to
manage and process it using traditional
databases and software techniques.
• Therefore, big data not only implies the
enormous amount of available data but it
also refers to the entire process of
gathering, storing, and analyzing that data.

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 Big Data
• The term is often used when speaking
about petabytes and exabytes of data,
much of which cannot be integrated
easily. (Data held by Microsoft, Google,
Facebook and Amazon: Around 1.2
million terabytes)
• Challenges include capture, analysis,
data curation, search, sharing, storage,
transfer, visualization, querying,
updating, and information privacy.
• Significance of Big Data in India
➢With a population of around 1.3 billion, Big
Data holds a significant position in the
Indian context.
➢As per the study conducted by NASSCOM,
“the Indian analytics industry is predicted
to reach $16 billion mark by 2025.”
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 Data Mining :
• It is process used to extract usable data from a
larger set of any raw data.
• It implies analysing data patterns in large batches
of data using one or more software.
• Data mining involves effective data collection and
warehousing as well as computer processing.
• Data mining has applications in multiple fields, like
science and research.
• Application :
➢Accuracy in big data may lead to more confident
decision making, better decisions can result in greater
operational efficiency, cost reduction, and reduces risks.
➢Analysis of data sets can find new correlations to "spot
business trends, prevent diseases, combat crime and so
on".
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 Cryptography
• The process of securing information by manipulating it in such
a way that makes it incomprehensible for people unaware of
the secret is called cryptography. Cryptography is a
combination of two Greek words, cryptos meaning secret, and
graphein meaning writing. So, in other words, cryptography
can also be called secret writing.
• Depending upon the period, cryptography can be broadly
categorized as Classical cryptography and Modern
Cryptography.
1. Classical cryptography refers to the early form of the
methodology which was mostly dependent on the
rearrangement and the substitution of the letters in a way that
the output could not be understood without the prior
knowledge of the process.
• Plaintext: we are safe.
• Ciphertext: zh duh vdih.
2. Modern cryptography is primarily based on mathematical
calculations that are easy enough to be carried out by a
computer using a key but hard enough to be guessed in the
absence of the same key. Modern cryptography can further be
divided in Symmetric and Asymmetric cryptography.

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 Symmetric Key algorithms:
• These are algorithms that use
the same key for the encryption
and the decryption process and
hence require the key being
shared among all the individuals
who need to have access to the
data.
• Since the secrecy completely
depends on the key being used,
any accidental disclosure of the
same to non-authorized
individuals might lead to
compromise of the entire
system.

Arvind_Unacademy 29
 Asymmetric Key algorithms:
• These are algorithms that use a pair of keys for the
encryption and decryption of the data – the keys are known
as the public key and private key, respectively.
• The private key is kept a secret with the owner and is used to
decrypt the data encrypted with the public key made
available to everyone in the public domain.
• Another use of this type of algorithm is for user
authentication where the data encrypted with the private
key can be decrypted with the public key to verify the fact
that only the owner of the private key can encrypt the data.
• Since this type of algorithm doesn’t rely on a single key for
security, it overcomes the limitation of the symmetric key
algorithms and is used for information exchange on the
internet as a part of various information exchange protocols.
• One of the major limitations of these algorithms as
compared to symmetric algorithms is that they are
computationally expensive hence using them frequently
within a process is not easy.

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 Digital Signature
• Digital signature is a mathematical technique (cryptography
mechanism) that is used to validate the authenticity and
integrity of a message, software and digital document.
• It offers security features like evidence of origin, identity,
and Status of an electronic document, transaction or
message and can thus acknowledge informed consent by a
signer (i.e., nonrepudiation).
• How Digital Signature Works?
➢ It uses public key cryptography such as RSA. The individual who is
generating the digital signature uses their own private key to
encrypt signature-related data.
➢ The only way to decrypt this data is with signer’s public key. This
is how signer’s signatures are authenticated.
• Uses of Digital Signature
➢ Government publishes electronic versions of various documents
such as budget, laws, bill etc. with digital signatures.
➢ Various legal works like processing tax returns, filing applications,
verifying business to government transactions etc. use digital
signature.
➢ Industries use the digital signature to speed up the process,
including product design, quality assurance, manufacturing
enhancements etc. 32
Arvind_Unacademy 33
 End to End ecryption
• End to End Encryption (E2EE) is • Whatsapp Encryption
a method of secure ➢ Whatsapp messages and calls
communication that prevents between a sender and receiver
third parties from accessing that use Whatsapp client
data while it's transferred from software released after March
one end system or device to 31, 2016 are end-to-end
encrypted.
another.
➢ The signal protocol designed by
• In E2EE, the data is encrypted Open Whisper Systems, is the
on the senders' system or basis for WhatsApp's end-to-end
device and only recipient is able encryption.
to decrypt it. Nobody in ➢ The end-to-end encryption
between, be they an Internet protocol is designed to prevent
Service Provider, Application third parties and Whatsapp from
having plain texts access to
Service Provider or hacker, can message or calls. What's more,
read or tamper with it. even if encryption keys from a
user's device are ever physically
• The cryptographic keys used to compromised, they cannot be
encrypt and decrypt the used to go back in time to
message are stored exclusively decrypt previously transmitted
on the endpoints; a trick made messages.
possible through the use of
public key encryption.
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 Quantum Cryptography /
Quantum Key Distribution
• It is a protocol to distribute secret keys using the principles of quantum mechanics. It is a
new technique that ensures the confidentiality of information transmitted between two
parties, by exploiting counter intuitive behavior of elementary particles called as
photons.
• The conventional cryptosystems used for data-encryption rely on the complexity
of mathematical algorithms, whereas the security offered by quantum communication is
based on the laws of Physics.
• How Quantum Mechanics is used – Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
• The security of the quantum key distribution is guaranteed by the laws of quantum
physics.
➢ Following uncertainty principle, an eavesdropper cannot know everything about a photon that carries
a bit and will destroy a part of the information. Hence eavesdropping causes errors in transmission
line, which can be detected by Alice (sender) and Bob (Receiver).
➢ If an eavesdropper, conventionally called Eve, tries to determine the key, she will be detected. The
legitimate parties will then discard the key, while no confidential information has been transmitted yet.
If, on the other hand, no tapping is detected, the secrecy of the distributed key is guaranteed.
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Arvind_Unacademy 36
 QUANTUM COMPUTING
• Why in News?
➢ Google builds ‘Qubit Game’ to teach students quantum computing (
Apr 2022 )
➢ The Indian Army has set up a Quantum Computing Laboratory and
a centre for Artificial Intelligence in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. ( Dec
2021 )
➢ Recently, the government has inaugurated C-DOT’s (Centre for
Development of Telematics) Quantum Communication Lab and
unveiled the indigenously developed Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)
solution. ( Oct 2021 )
➢ Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently
launched QSim – Quantum Computer Simulator Toolkit. ( Aug 2021 )
➢ Satellite Micius has sent light particles to Earth to establish the world’s
most secure communication link. ( June 2020 )
➢ The government in its Budget 2020 has announced the largest ever
science mission- National Mission on Quantum Technologies &
Applications (NMQTA). ( Feb 2020 )
➢ Recently, Google’s quantum
computer, named Sycamore, claimed “quantum supremacy”, as it
reportedly did the task in 200 seconds that would have apparently
taken a supercomputer 10,000 years to complete. ( Oct 2019 )
➢ In 2018, the government initiated serious discussions in quantum
technologies and kick started research projects across 51 organisations
under QUEST – Quantum Enabled Science and Technology.
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Micius: A Quantum-Enabled Satellite
• Why in news ? they are.
➢Recently, satellite Micius has sent light ➢If one of the photons is manipulated,
particles to Earth to establish the the other will be similarly affected at
world’s most secure communication the very same moment.
link. ➢It is this property that lies in the heart
of the most secure forms of quantum
• Micius: cryptography (the study of concepts
➢It is the world’s first quantum like encryption and decryption).
communications satellite, launched ➢If one of the entangled particles is used
by China in 2016. to create a key for encoding messages,
➢The satellite serves as the source of only the person with the other particle
pairs of entangled photons. can decode them.
➢Entangled photons are twinned light
particles whose properties remain
intertwined no matter how far apart
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• What is quantum computing?
➢ In a classical computer, information is stored using binary
units, or bits. A bit is either a 0 or 1.
➢ A quantum computer instead takes advantage of quantum
mechanical properties to process information using
quantum bits, or qubits.
➢ They function according to two key principles of quantum
physics: superposition and entanglement.
• Superposition means that each qubit can represent
both a 1 and a 0 at the same time.
• Entanglement means that qubits in a superposition
can be correlated with each other; that is, the state
of one (whether it is a 1 or a 0) can depend on the
state of another.
• Using these two principles, qubits can act as more
sophisticated switches, enabling quantum computers
to function in ways that allow them to solve difficult
problems that are intractable using today’s
computers.
• The computing power of a quantum computer
increases exponentially as the qubits are increased.
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Classical Computer vs Quantum Computer

Classical Computer Quantum Computer

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UPSC 2022
Which one of the following is the context in which the term “qubit” is
mentioned?
a) Cloud Services
b) Quantum Computing
c) Visible Light Communication Technologies
d) Wireless Communication Technologies

Arvind_Unacademy 41
 Blockchain Technology
• Why in News?
➢Finance Minister announced plans to Launch
Central Bank Digital Currency in the 2022-2023
fiscal year ( Feb 2022 )
➢National Strategy on Blockchain has been
formulated by the Ministry of Electronics &
Information Technology (MeitY). ( Dec 2021 )
➢Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
proposed amendments to the Reserve Bank of
India Act, 1934, which would enable it to launch
a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), thus
enhancing the scope of the definition of ‘bank
note’ to include currency in digital form. ( Nov
2021 )
➢EC to soon begin mock trials for remote voting:
CEC ( Jan 2021 )
➢Recently, the Union Government has launched the
Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Blockchain
Technology in Bengaluru. ( Jan 2020 )
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About Blockchain Technology
• Blockchain is a continuously participants, mainly a chain
growing list of records ( of computers, called nodes.
Blocks ) which are linked to • Bitcoin is just one of the
each other and secured using applications for the
cryptography. technology, whose use is
• It is a digital public ledger being tested across industries
that records every •It is an advantage, when
transaction. there is a lot of data that is
• Once a transaction is entered shared across multiple
in the blockchain, it cannot parties with no trust
be erased or modified. mechanism among the
• Blockchain removes the need participants.
for using a trusted third • Non-financial players like
party such as a bank to make retail, travel, health care,
a transaction by directly telecom and public sector
connecting the customers industries are also working
and suppliers. on this technology
• Each transaction is recorded
to the ledger after
verification by the network 43
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Arvind_Unacademy 45
 Blockchain Models
Public/Permissionless Private/Permissioned

Anyone can join, read, write and Only authorized participants can
commit write and commit

All are allowed to participate in Authorized nodes only can

consensus and anonymous participate in consensus
resilient

Truly decentralized because of Partially decentralized because

participation of unknown actors of participation of known actors

Finality of transaction could take Finality of transactions could be

longer time due to more number better in this model due to less
of participants number of participants
Strategies and Outcomes targeted for next 5
years: National Blockchain Framework
• Need: Reports predicts that by
2030, Blockchain would be used
as a foundational technology for
30% of the global customer base.
• Plan: MeitY has initiated a project
on design and development of a
National Blockchain Framework
(NBF) for creation of a shared
Blockchain infrastructure and
offering Blockchain as-a-Service
(BaaS). Initially, National
Blockchain Framework would be
used for egovernance domain
transitioning to incorporate
various use cases over time.
 Cryptocurrency
• Why in news?
➢ The Union Ministry of Finance, through a gazette notification, has
brought Virtual Digital Assets (VDA) or the Crypto Currency under
the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ( March 2023 )
➢ Finance Minister announced plans to Launch Central Bank Digital
Currency in the 2022-2023 fiscal year ( Feb 2022 )
➢ The government is likely to introduce a Bill on cryptocurrencies in
the Parliament. ( Nov 2021 )
➢ The Supreme Court struck down a circular of Reserve Bank of
India, which bans financial institutions from enabling deals in
digital or cryptocurrencies. The ban that came into force in April
2018, had crippled the Indian cryptocurrency industry. This ban
was challenged by the Internet & Mobile Association of India
(IAMA) in the Supreme Court, the IAMA pleaded that dealing and
trading in cryptocurrency was a legitimate business activity and
that the RBI did not have jurisdiction over it as these assets could
be classified as commodities rather than currency. ( March 2020 )
• About Crytocurrency :
➢ A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by
cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or
double-spend.
➢ Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based
on blockchain technology—a distributed ledger enforced by a
disparate network of computers.
➢ A defining feature of cryptocurrencies is that they are generally
not issued by any central authority, rendering them theoretically
immune to government interference or manipulation.
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 Bitcoins
• Bitcoin was launched in 2009 by an individual or • The total number that can ever be mined is limited to
group known by the pseudonym "Satoshi Nakamoto.” around 21 million.
• As of Feb 2022, there were over 19 million bitcoins in • When more people accept bitcoin or other
circulation with a total market value of around $1 cryptocurrencies for goods and services, their value
Trillion increases.
• It is the most commonly used crypto currency across • There is therefore no way for a central bank to issue a
the globe. flood of new Bitcoins and devalue those already in
• It does not belong to any nation, so that there is no circulation.
regulatory authority for bitcoins. • Bitcoin transactions done globally can be completed
• It is underpinned by a peer-to-peer computer in a few seconds with minimal costs compared to
network made up of its users’ machines called block traditional financial systems.
chain. • It can be bought from various international exchanges
using credit cards or other electronic means.
• Bitcoins are mathematically generated as the
computers in this network solve various mathematical • The provision of anonymity is widely misused
tasks. especially in making cross-border transactions and
• This procedure is known as Bitcoin “mining”. used as a means for money-laundering, terror funding
and drug trafficking, and other illegal activities.
• The mathematics of the Bitcoin system is set up in
such a way that it becomes progressively more
difficult to “mine” Bitcoins over time. 49
Arvind_Unacademy 50
BLOCKCHAIN BILL OF RIGHTS
• World Economic Forum Global Blockchain Council launched Presidio
Principles: the foundational values for a decentralized future which is
also called as Blockchain Bill of Rights ( June 2020 )
• About Blockchain Bill of Rights
➢It aims to establish a global baseline for developers, corporates and
governments building blockchain applications.
➢It will help in creating “the foundational values for a decentralized future”
which will help unlock the potential of a technology that is poised to
massively transform multiple sectors.
➢It contains sixteen principles which aim to protect users and preserve the
values of the technology so that all can benefit.
➢16 principles have been set out in four categories.

51
The Presidio Principles
1. Understand how a service is operated, including 10. Assess if their data is at risk through appropriate
potential risks of the service, availability of source disclosure procedures, which may include, but are
code, and the rules and standards upon which it not limited to, an examination of audit results,
is based. certifications, or source code.
2. Understand the potential risks and benefits of a 11. Have their data protected in accordance with
service’s use of blockchain technology. internationally recognised technical security
standards.
3. Understand system performance expectations
and where the responsibility for service delivery 12. Limit data collection to that which is necessary
lies. and data use to the purpose for which it was
provided.
4. Understand the rights and obligations of different
participants in the system. 13. Verify – through third-party or self-created tools –
that operations have been completed and
5. Create, manage, and independently store confirmed in accordance with the system’s rules.
cryptographic keys.
14. Access information needed to: (a) understand the
6. Manage the consent of data stored in third-party system’s governance and rules and (b) pursue
systems. effective recourse mechanisms.
7. Port data between interoperable systems or parts 15. Opt-out of using applications that don’t treat data
of a system. in accordance with internationally recognised
8. Revoke consent for future data collection. governance and data protection standards.
9. Have access to information sufficient to facilitate 16. Rectify demonstrably false, inaccurate, or
system interoperability. incomplete data when necessary.

52
53
 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
• Why in News ?
➢Artificial intelligence may already be ‘slightly
conscious’, AI scientists warn ( Feb 2022 )
➢U.S. India Artificial Intelligence (USIAI) has launched
for working in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) (
Mar 2021 )
➢The Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY) and NITI Aayog organized a Mega
Virtual Summit on Artificial Intelligence (AI), RAISE
2020- ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment
2020,’ from October 5-9, 2020.
➢NITI Aayog has identified five sectors that includes
healthcare, agriculture, education, infrastructure and
transportation that can benefit from adoption of
artificial intelligence.
➢NITI Aayog paper highlights the potential for India to
become an AI ‘garage’, or solutions provider, for 40%
of the world.
54
 Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Artificial intelligence is the branch of computer science
concerned with making computers mimic human-like
intelligence. In contrast to normal hardware and
software, AI enables a machine to perceive and
respond to its changing environment.
• AI has the potential to boost the national growth rate
by 1.3% and add $957 bn by 2035 to India’s economy.
• Human-AI Collaboration
➢ Supportive Mode: AI performs alongside humans by
facilitating human judgements by providing resources such as
predictive outputs.
➢ Reimagining the Business: AI performs activities that go
beyond the cognitive abilities of humans. For e.g., large-scale
genome study in bioinformatics.
➢ AI replaces the Humans: This is especially useful in
potentially harmful situations for humans such as
environments and rapid system response in nuclear reactors.
• Machine Learning:
➢ Machine Learning, a term coined by Artur Samuel in
1959, based on the idea that systems can learn from
data, identify patterns and make decisions with minimal
human intervention.
• Deep Learning :
➢ Deep learning is a subset of machine learning in Artificial
Intelligence (AI) that has networks capable of learning
unsupervised from data that is unstructured or unlabeled.
Also known as Deep Neural Learning or Deep Neural
Network.
• Neural Neworks :
➢ Neural network, also known as Artificial Neural Network
(ANNs) or simulated neural networks (SNNs), are a subset
of machine learning and are at the heart of deep learning
algorithms.
➢ Their name and structure are inspired by the human
brain, mimicking the way biological neurons signal to
each other.
➢ ANNs consist of node layers, containing an input layer,
one or more hidden layers, and an output layer. Each
node, or artificial neurons, connects to another and has
an associated weight and threshold. If the output of any
individual node is above the specified threshold value,
that node is activated, sending data to the next layer of
the network. Otherwise, no data is passed along the next
layer of the network.
56
57
ChatGPT
• Why in News?
➢The ‘race starts today’ in search as
Microsoft reveals new OpenAI-powered
Bing, ‘copilot for the web’ ( Feb 2023 )
➢Bard is the experimental conversational
AI that utilizes Google's patented
Language Model for Dialogue
Applications (LaMDA). Utilizing
resources from the internet, Bard
delivers up-to-date and insightful
responses.
➢Recently, OpenAI has introduced a
new chatbot called ChatGPT, which is a
‘conversational’ AI and will answer
queries just like a human would.(8th
December 2022)

Arvind_Unacademy 58
What is ChatGPT?
• The ChatGPT can answer “follow-up questions”, and can
also “admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises,
and reject inappropriate requests.”
• It is based on the company’s GPT 3.5 series of language
learning models (LLM).
• It is a Language Model (rather than a chatbot) that can
produce text that sound like human response in a
conversation setting.
• GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 and
this is a kind of computer language model that relies on
deep learning techniques to produce human-like
text based on inputs.
• The model is trained to predict what will come next,
and that’s why one can technically have a ‘conversation’
with ChatGPT.
• The chatbot was also trained using Reinforcement Learning
from Human Feedback (RLHF).

Arvind_Unacademy 59
Generative Pre- Training (GPT) language model
• Why in News?
➢ OpenAI has created GPT-4, the latest milestone in OpenAI’s effort in scaling up deep learning. ( 14th
March 2023 )]
➢ GPT-4 can ‘see’ images now: The most noticeable change to GPT-4 is that it’s multimodal, allowing
it to understand more than one modality of information. GPT-3 and ChatGPT’s GPT-3.5 were
limited to textual input and output, meaning they could only read and write. However, GPT-4 can
be fed images and asked to output information accordingly.
• From 2018, OpenAI has released a generation of language models. In 2018, it released a
generative Pre- Training (GPT) language model. Here, generative means that it is a type of
neural network that can create new content based on input content, called Training Data.
• This technology makes things like ‘writing stories possible’.
• In 2019 and 2020, improved versions of GPT i.e., GPT-2 and GPT-3 were released.
• In early 2022, GPT 3.5 was released.
• ChatGPT is a application of GPT3.5. Each successive generation is more advanced that its
predecessor.

Arvind_Unacademy 60
Arvind_Unacademy 61
Usage
• It can be used in real-world applications such as digital marketing,
online content creation, answering customer service queries or as
some users have found, even to help debug code.
• The bot can respond to a large range of questions while imitating
human speaking styles.
• It is being seen as a replacement for the basic emails, party planning
lists, CVs, and even college essays and homework.
• It can also be used to write code, as examples have shown.

Arvind_Unacademy 62
Limitations
• The chatbot displayed clear racial and sexist biases, which remains a
problem with almost all AI models.
• The chatbot gives answers which are grammatically correct and read
well– though some have pointed out that these lack context and
substance, which is largely true.
• ChatGPT occasionally produces inaccurate information and that its
knowledge is restricted to global events that occurred before 2021.

Arvind_Unacademy 63
64
65
RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020)
• RAISE 2020 is a first of its kind, global AI-related fields.
meeting of minds on Artificial Intelligence • India in AI:
to drive India's vision and roadmap for
social transformation, inclusion and ➢ Industry analysts predict that AI could add up
empowerment through responsible AI. to 957 billion USD to India’s economy by
2035.
• This includes using AI in areas like Health, ➢ India can leverage AI for inclusive
Agriculture, Education, Skilling, Mobility, development, representing the country's 'AI
Fintech, Research, Inclusive AI, Future of for All' strategy.
Work, among others. ➢ India has launched National AI Strategy and
National AI Portal and has also started
• RAISE 2020 Summit saw experts from leveraging AI across various sectors such as
across the world discussing themes like the education, agriculture, healthcare, e-
role that Artificial Intelligence can play in commerce, finance, telecommunications, etc.
powering financial inclusion, and its ➢ Recently, India joined the 'Global Partnership
potential to empower over a billion Indians on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)' as a founding
by helping build robust and ahead of the member to support the responsible and
curve public digital platforms human-centric development and use of
Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• It also featured some startups working in
66
• Why in News ➢ An example would be looking at how AI could
help societies respond to and recover from
➢ India has joined the 'Global Partnership on the Covid-19 crisis.
Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)' as a founding ➢ Bring together leading experts from
member to support the responsible and industry, civil society, governments, and
human-centric development and use of academia to conduct research and pilot
Artificial Intelligence (AI). ( June 2020 ) projects on AI.
• Objective: GPAI is an international and ➢ It will initially comprise four working
multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the groups focused on responsible AI, data
responsible development and use of AI, governance, the future of work, and
innovation and commercialisation.
based on human rights, inclusion,
diversity, innovation, and economic • Founding Members: Australia, Canada,
growth. the European Union, France, Germany,
India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of
• Functions: Korea, Mexico, New Zealand,
➢ Bridge the gap between theory and Singapore, Slovenia, the United
practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge Kingdom and the United States.
research and applied activities on AI-
related priorities.
67
 Use of AI in Agriculture
• AI Helping Analyze Farm way in our food.
Data: Farms produce hundreds of ➢ It would increase productivity by
thousands of data points on the introducing precision agriculture.
ground daily. With the help of AI, • Tackling the Labour
farmers can now analyze a Challenge: With fewer people
variety of things in real-time such entering the farming profession,
as weather conditions, most farms are facing the
temperature, water usage or soil challenge of a workforce
conditions collected from their shortage.
farm to better inform their
decisions. • One solution to help with this
shortage of workers is AI
➢ Farmers are also using AI to create agriculture bots. These bots
seasonal forecasting models to augment the human labour
improve agricultural accuracy and workforce and are used in various
increase productivity. forms. For example:
• Precision Agriculture: Precision 1. These bots can harvest crops at
a higher volume and faster pace
agriculture uses AI technology to than human labourers, more
aid in detecting diseases in accurately identify and
eliminate weeds, and reduce
plants, pests, and poor plant costs for farms by having
nutrition on farms. around the clock labour force.
➢ AI sensors can detect and target 2. Additionally, farmers are
beginning to turn to chatbots
weeds and then decide which for assistance. Chatbots help
herbicides to apply within the answer a variety of questions
right buffer zone. and provide advice and
recommendations on specific
➢ This helps to prevent over- farm problems.
application of herbicides and 68
excessive toxins that find their
Scope of AI in the Agriculture
• Augmenting Entire Supply Chain: Worldwide, agriculture is a $5 trillion industry,
and AI technologies can help to yield healthier crops, control pests, monitor soil
and growing conditions, organize data for farmers, help with the workload, and
improve a wide range of agriculture-related tasks in the entire food supply chain.
• Opportunity for High Growth: Globally, AI applications in agriculture reached a
valuation of nearly $ 1 billion in 2019 and this is estimated to grow to almost $8
billion by 2030, a nearly 25% growth.
➢ However, in this scenario, the Indian agri-tech market, presently valued at $204 million, has
reached just 1% of its estimated potential of $ 24 billion.
• Huge Agricultural Data Resource: Due to the diversity of its soil types, climate
and topography, India provides a great opportunity for the data scientists and AI
experts to develop state of the art AI tools and solutions for agriculture.
➢ Indian farms and farmers provide vast and rich data to help create AI solutions for not just
the country but the world at large. And this is one of the factors that makes the opportunity
for AI in Indian agriculture unparalleled.

69
Fourth Industrial Revolution

70
Ongoing Changes in Labour Market
• In current times, the role of technology has become self-contradictory.
Even if technology has been created to support humankind, there exists an
underlying fear about its impact on the labour market.
• Traditionally, changes affected only employees in charge of highly
repetitive tasks, that is the so-called blue-collar workers.
• However, the recent impact of the fourth industrial revolution is also
threatening those that carry out highly skilled tasks, that is, the so-called
white-collar workers.
• Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Labour Organization (ILO)
estimated that 1,400 million workers in the world (around 37.5% of the -
total workers) worked in vulnerable employment.

71
 Impact of 4th Industrial Revolution & Covid-
19 on Labour Market
• Process of Automation: According to ILO, the manufacturing decided to shift to permanent working from home even after the
sector employs approximately 1,600 million robots at a global pandemic.
scale, a number with exponential growth in recent years. ➢ These changes will have a vast impact on the urban economies of the
➢ The Covid-19 pandemic will quite likely ensure that companies will regions where these companies are located by affecting aspects, such
strive to organise supply chains that are safe and free from viruses. as real estate, transportation, leisure, and social diversity, among
others.
➢ For this, deployments of swarm robots, that is robots linked to each
other for coordinated action, present important functional benefits. • Post-Labour Society: Some theorists predict a post-work scenario
Therefore, in some way, it is quite likely that Covid-19 will accelerate where robots would mostly replace human workforces. Among
the process of automation. the consequences, it would mean the end of the traditional labour
• Social Polarisation: The pandemic is also increasing social structure, which will require us to redefine the term work itself.
inequalities due to the disparate impact of the virus on different ➢ This can lead to the emergence of a massive and new unworking
classes. class.
➢ However, before the pandemic, the most vulnerable jobs and with ➢ In addition, with the pace of technological shifts, the skills required
more risk to be automated were precisely the low-income ones. of employees will probably change faster over time, creating a group
of people whose skills get constantly outdated.
➢ The virus has a social impact that is quite undemocratic, which
besides the ongoing robotisation and automation processes will drive• Change in Society: Beyond the real impact of AI and robotics on
up the levels of social polarisation. the labour market, strong changes are expected to disrupt
• Change in Work Culture: The ongoing technological revolution societies.
and the impact of the novel coronavirus might radically change ➢ Without employment providing a structure in the people’s lives and
the work conditions. with technology replacing many human activities, the societies are
likely to shift towards more individualistic entities with less human
➢ With this new wave of forced remote working, some tech companies interaction.
in Silicon Valley (such as Twitter, Square, or Facebook) have already
72
Way Forward
• Positive Trends: There are many studies which signify that the fourth
Industrial revolution would create as many jobs as it eradicated, showing a
slightly positive trend.
➢These studies indicate that the healthcare and educational sectors will have a
growing job demand, while the manufacturing and transport sectors will suffer the
largest losses of jobs.
➢Further, technology and automation could lead to a fairer economic model with
lower prices, greater social awareness. Thus, there is a need for re-skilling of the
workforce.
• Necessity of Inclusive Development: Some governments are trying to -
develop strategies to face the very negative scenarios that might emerge.
➢In this sense, one of such countermeasures is the Universal Basic Income (UBI).
➢However, developing countries like India need to develop alternative strategies. This
is because providing UBI in the world's second-largest populous country would not
be feasible, especially in the near future.

73
Organoid Intelligence
• Why in News?
➢Recently, Scientists have outlined a
plan for a potentially revolutionary
new area of research called “organoid
intelligence”, which aims to create
“biocomputers”, where 3D brain
cultures grown in the lab are coupled
to real-world sensors and
input/output devices.
➢Technology is expected to harness the
processing power of the brain and
understand the biological basis of
human cognition, learning, and
various neurological disorders.

Arvind_Unacademy 74
Brain organoids / mini-brains
• These “mini-brains” (with a size of up to 4 mm) are built
using human stem cells and capture many structural and
functional features of a developing human brain. It is used
to study human brain development and test drugs to see
how they respond.
• However, Brain organoids developed in the lab are not
advanced enough as they lack the required sensory inputs
and blood circulation that are necessary for the
development of a complex organ like the human brain.
• Moreover, Scientists transplanted human brain organoid
cultures into rat brains and observed that they formed
connections with the rat brain and showed functional
activity.
• This system could provide a way to study brain
diseases in a human context.
• However, the organoids are still in the rat-brain
microenvironment, which may not be representative of
the human brain.

Arvind_Unacademy 75
Bio-computer
• Researchers plan to combine brain • Opportunities for ‘Bio-Computers :
organoids with modern computing ➢ Brain organoids developed using stem cells
methods using machine learning to create from individuals with diseases like
“bio-computers”. Parkinson's disease and microcephaly can aid
drug development for these conditions.
• They will grow organoids inside structures ➢ These organoids can provide insights into
with multiple electrodes that can record the biological basis of human
the firing patterns of neurons and mimic cognition, learning, and memory by
sensory stimuli. comparing the data on brain structure,
connections, and signaling between healthy
• Machine-learning techniques will then be and patient-derived organoids.
used to analyse the effect of neuron ➢ While human brains are slower than
response patterns on human behavior or computers at simple arithmetic,
biology. they outshine machines at processing
complex information.
• Scientists have already grown human
neurons on a microelectrode array and
trained them to generate electrical activity
similar to what electrons would generate
while playing table tennis.

Arvind_Unacademy 76
 Project Brainwave
• Microsoft has launched “Project Brainwave”, a
deep learning acceleration platform for real-
time artificial intelligence (AI).
• It uses the massive field-programmable gate
array (FPGA) infrastructure.
• The system architecture allows very high
throughput, with the FPGA processing requests
as fast as the network can stream them.
• Significance: Real-time AI is becoming
increasingly important as cloud infrastructures
process live data streams, whether they be
search queries, videos, sensor streams, or
interactions with users.
• Microsoft is also planning to bring the real-time
AI system to users in Azure 77
 Combating Deep Fakes
• Technological advancement that has fueled media creation
today, has provided opportunities for all people, regardless
of their demography, ethnicity, religion etc. It can give
people a voice, purpose, and ability to make an impact at
scale and with speed.
• However, as access to synthetic media technology increases,
so does the risk of exploitation. One such aspect of media
creation is deep fakes. Deep Fakes are the digital media
(video, audio, and images) manipulated using Artificial
Intelligence.
• Deep fakes have evolved from mere annoyance to high
stake warfare for creating social discord, increasing
polarisation, and in some cases, influencing an election
outcome. It allows hyper-realistic digital falsification that
can inflict damage to individuals, institutions, businesses
and democracy.
• Deep Fake makes it possible to fabricate media — swap
faces, lip-syncing, and puppeteers — mostly without
consent and bring threat to psychology, security, political
stability, and business disruption.

78
Dangers Associated With Deep Fake
• New Front of Warfare: A deepfake could act as a • Even if the victim could debunk the deep fake, it may
powerful tool by a nation-state to undermine public come too late to remedy the initial harm.
safety and create uncertainty and chaos in the target • Further, Deepfakes can be deployed to extract money,
country. confidential information, or exact favours from
individuals.
➢ Nation-state actors with geopolitical aspirations,
ideological believers, violent extremists, and • Undermining Democracy: A deepfake can also aid in
economically motivated enterprises can manipulate altering the democratic discourse and undermine
media narratives using deepfakes. trust in institutions and impair diplomacy.
➢ It can be used by insurgent groups and terrorist ➢ False information about institutions, public policy, and
organisations, to represent their adversaries as making politicians powered by a deepfake can be exploited to
inflammatory speeches or engaging in provocative actions spin the story and manipulate belief.
to stir up anti-state sentiments among people.
• Targeting Women: The malicious use of a deepfake • Disrupting Electioneering: A deepfake of a political
can be seen in pornography, inflicting emotional, candidate can sabotage their image and reputation.
reputational, and in some cases, violence towards A well-executed one, a few days before polling, of a
the individual. political candidate spewing out racial epithets or
➢ Pornographic deep fakes can threaten, intimidate, and
indulging in an unethical act can damage their
inflict psychological harm and reduce women to sexual campaign.
objects. Deepfake pornography majorly targets women. ➢ A high-quality deepfake can inject compelling false
information that can cast a shadow of illegitimacy over
• Damage to Personal Reputation: Deepfake can the voting process and election results.
depict a person indulging in antisocial behaviours ➢ Leaders can also use them to increase populism and
and saying vile things. consolidate power.
• These can have severe implications on their reputation, ➢ Deepfakes can become a very effective tool to sow the
sabotaging their professional and personal life. seeds of polarisation, amplifying division in society, and
suppressing dissent.
79
Way Forward
• Enhancing Media Literacy: Media literacy for consumers and journalists is the most effective tool
to combat disinformation and deep fakes.
➢ Improving media literacy is a precursor to addressing the challenges presented by deepfakes.
➢ Media literacy efforts must be enhanced to cultivate a discerning public.
➢ As consumers of media, they must have the ability to decipher, understand, translate, and use the
information.
➢ Even a short intervention with media understanding, learning the motivations and context, can lessen the
damage.
• Need for Regulation: Meaningful regulations with a collaborative discussion with the technology
industry, civil society, and policymakers can facilitate disincentivizing the creation and distribution
of malicious deep fakes.
• Technological Interventions: There is also a need for easy-to-use and accessible technology
solutions to detect deep fakes, authenticate media, and amplify authoritative sources.
• Behavioural Change: On the part of society, to counter the menace of deep fakes, there is a need
to take the responsibility to be a critical consumer of media on the Internet, think and pause
before sharing on social media, and be part of the solution to this infodemic.

80
 Cloud Computing
• Cloud computing is the on demand availability of
computer system resources, especially data storage
and computing power, without direct active
management by the user.
• These resources include tools and applications like
data storage, servers, databases, networking, and
software.
• Rather than keeping files on a proprietary hard drive
or local storage device, cloud-based storage makes it
possible to save them to a remote database. As long
as an electronic device has access to the web, it has
access to the data and the software programs to run
it.
• It is a popular option for people and businesses for a
number of reasons including cost savings, increased
productivity, speed and efficiency, performance,
and security.
81
Some of famous Cloud Service Provider

82
UPSC 2022
With reference to “Software as a Service (SaaS)”, consider the following
statements :
1. SaaS buyers can customise the user interface and can change data fields.
2. SaaS users can access their data through their mobile devices.
3. Outlook, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail are forms of SaaS.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Arvind_Unacademy 83
 Cloud Computing
• Why in News?
➢ Maharashtra became the first state to mandate its departments
to shift their data storage onto the cloud unlike currently where
government departments have their own data storage facilities. (
Jan 2018 )
• Digilocker Service
➢ DigiLocker is a flagship initiative of MeitY under ‘Digital
India’ programme.
➢ This is government’s effort to create an electronic version of
documents, which can be easily verified and stored in printable
format.
➢ The users can store their documents such as insurance, medical
reports, PAN card, passport, marriage certificate, school
certificate and other documents in the digital format.
• GI Cloud Initiative (Meghraj):
➢ This initiative is to implement various components including
governance mechanism to ensure proliferation of Cloud in the
government.
➢ The focus of this initiative is to accelerate delivery of e-services in
the country while optimizing ICT spending of the Government.
➢ The National Informatics Centre (NIC) is providing National Cloud
services under this.
84
Supercomputers
• Why in News? equal to one thousand million million
➢ Param Pravega (3.3 petaflops) , a (10^15) floating-point operations per
supercomputer that is touted to be one of second (FLOPS)
the most powerful in the country, has been
installed at the Indian Institute of Science • PARAM 8000, considered to be India’s first
(IISc) ( Feb 2022 ) supercomputer was indigenously built in
• National Supercomputing Mission is being 1991 by the Centre for Development of
Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
implemented by the Department of
Science and Technology (Ministry of • Presently, Pratyush, a Cray XC40 system -
Science and Technology) and Ministry of an array of computers that can deliver
Electronics and Information Technology a peak power of 6.8 petaflops, installed at
(MeitY), through the Centre for the Indian Institute of Tropical
Development of Advanced Computing (C- Meteorology (IITM), Pune, is the fastest
DAC), Pune and Indian Institute of Science supercomputer in India. Launched in
(IISc), Bengaluru. January 2018, it is the fourth fastest High
• Teraflops: It is a unit of computing speed Performance Computer (HPC) dedicated
equal to one million million (10^12) to climate modelling in the world.
floating-point operations per second
(FLOPS).
• Petaflops: It is a unit of computing speed
85
Spiking Neural Network Architecture (SpiNNaker)
Neuromorphic Computing
• It is World’s First Brain-Like (electronic circuits
Super-Computer mimicking neural-biological
architecture) uses large-
• It has million-processor-core scale computer systems
and is capable of completing containing electronic circuits
more than 200 million to mimic these spikes in a
actions per second, with machine.
each of its chips having 100 ➢ SpiNNaker is unique
million transistors. because it does not
communicate by sending
• The SpiNNaker machine large amounts of
information from point A to
is designed and built in The B via a standard network
University of Manchester, like in traditional computer
UK. but it mimics the parallel
• How It Works? communication architecture
of the brain, sending billions
➢ Biological neurons are basic of small amounts of
brain cells present in the information simultaneously
nervous system that to thousands of different
communicate by emitting destinations.
‘spikes’ of electrochemical
energy.
➢ Neuromorphic computing 86
 HUMANOID
• Humanoid robot is a robot with its overall appearance
based on that of the human body.
• Features of Humanoid Robots
1. Self-maintenance
2. Autonomous learning
3. Avoiding harmful situations to people, property, and itself
4. Safe interacting with human beings and the environment
• Androids are humanoid robots built to resemble a male
human, and Gynoids are humanoid robots built to
resemble a human female.
• Recently, Humanoid Robot Sophia became world's first
robot citizen as Saudi Arabia granted citizenship to her
in a bid to promote artificial intelligence.
• Other Example: Unplugged (USA), Asimo (Japan), Icub
(Cognitive Universal Body by European university),
Poppy (france), Lexy & Tess (Germany), Actroid-Sit
(Japan) , Robot Shalu ( made from waste material )

87
 Xenobots
• Why in News?
➢ Scientists Build First Living Robots Called Xenobots That Can Reproduce ( Dec 2021 )
• World’s first living robots, called Xenobots, were formed from the stem cells of
the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) from which it takes its name.
➢ Xenobots are less than a millimeter wide and could move, work together in groups and
selfheal.
➢ Stem cells are unspecialized cells that have the ability to develop into different cell
types.
• Now, scientists have discovered an entirely new form of biological
reproduction different from any animal or plant to create first-ever, self-
replicating living robots.
➢ Researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to design a blueprint for organising xenobots
into a new type of organism.
▪ Unlike in cloning, where DNA from one individual is used to grow identical copies of that individual,
these cells are harvested from different embryos, and used to create organisms that don’t resemble
their parent species.
• Potential applications of Xenobots
➢ To clean up plastic pollution, both in sea and on land.
➢ If built with mammalian stem cells, xenobots could be organised to form lenses to
restore vision.
➢ To clean up plaque that causes heart blocks, or brain damage.
➢ Could be programmed to attack and remove cancer cells.
5G technology
• Why in News? supports massive interconnected devices spread
➢ Indian telecom operators surpass 3-year 5G across wide areas like Internet of things (IoT).
rollout target in six months ( March 2023 ) • Previous generations like 3G were a
➢ PM Modi on 1st Oct 2022, launched 5G services in breakthrough in communications. 3G receives a
select cities in India, ushering in what promises to
be an era of ultra-high-speed internet on mobile signal from the nearest phone tower and is used
phones and devices (Oct 2022) for phone calls, messaging and data.
➢ Satcom Industry Association-India (SIA) has voiced • 4G works the same as 3G but with a faster
concerns over the Government’s plan to include internet connection and a lower latency (the
the Millimetre Wave (mm Wave) bands in time between cause and effect).
the 5G spectrum auction ( Jan 2022 )
• 5G is the fifth generation wireless network • 5G provides peak speeds of 20 times, compared
which promises ultra-reliable, very fast speeds with 4G.
and high bandwidth mobile connectivity and

89
About
• 5G is the fifth generation cellular spectrum (range of frequencies) that will
technology that apart from increasing the ensure no network congestion.
downloading and uploading speeds over • In addition, it will also ensure connectivity
the mobile network, also reduces the to a full circle i.e. everything is connected
latency i.e. the time taken by a network to to every other thing.
respond.
• 5G will provide download speed of 1 Gbps, • The standards for the usage of 5G are
defined and driven by 3rd
which is at least 100 times the existing data Generation Partnership Project.
speeds.
• It also increases energy efficiency and
offers more stable network connections.
• 5G will have a wider area in the frequency

90
91
How 5G will impact various sectors
• Economic Benefits: It will help business • Driverless cars -> Connected machines
especially those that operate outside -> fast internet.
the reach of broadband networks or ➢ Internet of Things (IoT): 5G is considered
suffer from slow fixed line services. In backbone of IoT due to its high data rate,
fact, according to A.J. Paulraj reduced end-to-end latency and improved
Committee report, the overall impact coverage.
of 5G on Indian economy can be upto • Better Energy management -> A smart
$1 trillion by 2035. grid will need faster internet.
• Fast Rural connectivity: It will have • Other potential uses
huge positive impact on health, ➢ Download time for a high-definition full-
education and other services in rural length movie will be seconds, not minutes
areas. ➢ It will allow simultaneous language
translation between people attending
• Better Health services – Lower latency teleconference.
-> Remote surgery
• Better disaster management -> Easy
video/image transfer by drones.

92
 Millimetre Wave-Band:
• About:
➢It is a particular segment of the radio frequency
spectrum that ranges between 24 GHz and 100 GHz.
➢This spectrum, as the name suggests, has a short
wavelength, and is appropriate to deliver greater
speeds and lower latencies. This in turn makes data
transfer efficient and seamless as the current
available networks work optimally only on lower
frequency bandwidths.
• Significance:
➢5G services can be deployed using lower frequency
bands. They can cover greater distances and are
proven to work efficiently even in urban
environments, which are prone to interference.
➢But, when it comes to data speeds, these bands fail
to hit peak potential needed for a true 5G
experience. So, mmWave is that quintessential
piece in the 5G jigsaw puzzle for mobile service
providers.
93
 Effect on Satellite Industry:
• The Internet has largely been • Against ITU Norms:
provided to users via fibre-optic ➢SIA urged the regulator to limit the
based broadband connectivity or inclusion of mmWave spectrum in the
mobile network. Of late, another 5G auction to internationally
class of Internet vendors is showing harmonized 24.25-27.5 GHz spectrum.
up. These are satellite-based ➢27.5-31 GHz and 17.7-21.2 GHz bands
have been preserved for satellite-
communication service providers. based broadband services as per the
• This segment uses Low-Earth Orbit decision taken by the International
(LEO) satellites to provide Telecommunication Union (ITU).
broadband to both urban and rural ➢The industry body pointed to Europe’s
users. Their service could also be “5G Roadmap”, which is built on the
ITU’s decision to hold these bands for
used for weather predictions. satellite-based broadband services.

94
VOICE OVER LTE (VOLTE)
• Voice over LTE is a digital packet technology that uses 4G LTE to route voice
traffic and transmit data. Since LTE is a data-only networking technology,
VoLTE provides higher quality calls, better service and the ability to
simultaneously use voice and data.
• NEED: Why is VoLTE necessary?
➢The technology is necessary because LTE is a data-only networking technology.
➢Previous cellular networks such as 2G and 3G, were designed to carry voice calls –
services added cellular data support later through methods that basically “tunneled”
data inside of voice-call connections.
➢LTE turns the network around and uses Internet Protocol Packets for all
communications. As such it doesn’t support traditional voice call technology, so a
new protocol and applications for voice over LTE are needed.
• How does VoLTE work?
➢It is based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) framework. This allows the service
to deliver multimedia as data flows using a common IP interface.
95
 Fiber Optics
• Why in news ?
➢ Now, at least 2 Mbps speed required to get broadband tag, the
change comes after 9 years of broadband service being defined
as 512Kbps ( Feb 2023 )
➢ President has posthumously conferred Padma Vibhushan to Dr.
Narinder Singh Kapany who is considered as the "father of fibre
optics". ( Nov 2021 )
➢ He was the first to transmit images through fiber optics back in
1954 and laid the foundation for high speed internet technology.
• Fiber optics is the science of transmitting data, voice, and
images by the passage of light through thin, transparent
fibres.
• The basic medium of fibre optics is a hair-thin fibre that is
most often made up of glass and sometimes plastics.
• Through a process known as total internal reflection, light
rays beamed into the fibre can propagate within the core
for great distances with remarkably little attenuation, or
reduction in intensity.
• In telecommunications, fibre optic technology has virtually
replaced copper wire in long-distance telephone lines, and
it is used to link computers within local area networks.
96
 FREE SPACE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION
• It is an optical communication positioned mirrors can be used to
technology in which data is reflect the energy.
transmitted by propagation of light • It is capable of sending up to 1.25
in free space allowing optical Gbps of data, voice, and video
connectivity. communications simultaneously
• Working of FSO is similar to OFC through the air.
(optical fiber cable) networks but • Advantages: low initial
the only difference is that the investment, flexible network that
optical beams are sent through delivers better speed than
free air or vaccum instead of glass broadband, security due to line of
fiber. sight operation etc.
• It is a Line of Sight (LOS)
technology. It consists of an optical• Challenges: misalignment errors,
geometric losses, background
transceiver at both ends to provide noise, weather attenuation losses
full duplex (bidirectional) and atmospheric turbulence.
capability. Even if there is no direct
line of sight, strategically

97
 Lifi Technology
• It is a bidirectional fully congested and also very useful
networked wireless in rural areas wherein Fiber
communication technology that Optic Cables or networks are
uses visible light rather than radio not reachable.
frequencies. as a medium to carry • Nav Wireless Technologies is the
data. only registered company in the LiFi
➢ An improvised LED bulb sector in Asia.
functions as a router
• How does Li-Fi work?
• It can offer greater security, data ➢ An ordinary off-the-shelf LED bulb is
rates and densities to support connected to a device, which in turn is
more robust and reliable wireless connected to the Internet.
networks that complement and ➢ The Internet data flows in via the
enhance existing cellular and Wi-Fi device into the bulb and is carried by
networks. light waves.
➢ At the other end, light waves carrying
➢ It provides ultra-fast data the Internet data falls on a receiver or
connections, and are a dongle that is connected to the
especially useful in urban computer.
areas where radio spectra are

Arvind_Unacademy 98
• Why in News? the digital divide, facilitate digital
➢Cabinet approves viability gap funding to empowerment and inclusion, and
roll out BharatNet ( June 2022 ) provide affordable and universal
➢The Ministry of Communications has access of broadband for all.
launched ‘National Broadband
Mission’ that will facilitate universal and • It can be noted that
equitable access to broadband services through BharatNet, broadband
across the country, especially in rural and services have reached in as many as
remote areas. ( Dec 2019 ) 2.8 Lakhs villages and the latest
• The Mission is part of the National mission aims to offer broadband for all
Digital Communications Policy, 2018. by 2024 including remotely-located
hospitals, schools and post offices.
• The vision of the Mission is to fast-
track growth of digital
communications infrastructure, bridge
99
Key Features
➢Some of the objectives of the Mission which are structured with a strong
emphasis on the three principles of universality, affordability and quality are:
➢Broadband access to all villages by 2024.
➢Significantly improve quality of services for mobile and internet.
➢Develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) to measure the availability of digital
communications infrastructure and conducive policy ecosystem within a State/UT.
➢Creation of a digital fiber map of the Digital Communications network and
infrastructure, including Optical Fiber Cables and Towers, across the country.
➢Laying of incremental 30 lakhs route km of Optical Fiber Cable and increase in
tower density from 0.42 to 1.0 tower per thousand of population by 2024.
➢The Centre will work with States and UTs for having consistent policies pertaining
to expansion of digital infrastructure including for Right of Way (RoW) approvals
required for laying of optical fibre cable.

100
 BHARAT NET PROJECT
• In 2011, National Optical Fibre Network (now called Bharat Net
Project) was launched to provide broadband connectivity to 2.5
lakh Gram Panchayats with an affordable broadband connectivity
of 2 Mbps to 20 Mbps.
• It is being implemented by a special purpose vehicle (SPV) named
Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL) set up under Companies
Act.
• It is funded through Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)
• Bharat Net Project is also significant for generation of as much as 5
lakh jobs during the installation of Wi-Fi hot spots.
• Some issues involved are high usage of internet through mobile
phone, cyber security, high cost of services, low internet
education.

101
 Wi-Fi Calling:
• Why in News?
➢ Vodafone Idea offers support for Wi-Fi calling on select smartphones
from select brands. ( Jan 2022 )
➢ Bharati Airtel, followed by Jio, recently launched free Wi-Fi calling ie.
Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), a first for India.
• About Wi-Fi Calling
➢ In Wi-Fi calling instead of using the carrier's network connection, the
phone can make a voice call via a Wi-Fi network.
➢ It is aimed especially for areas where cellular networks are not
strong.
➢ It uses Internet connection, available via broadband, to make and
receive high definition (HD) voice calls.
➢ Users don't have to pay extra for these calls as it is using a Wi-Fi
network.
➢ This is similar to voice call using WhatsApp or any other over-the-top
(OTT) messaging platform, but here the call is from one number to
another, and not using an app.
➢ Since these calls use stable Wi-Fi connections, call drops are not
expected to be a problem.
➢ Wi-Fi Calling can be configured on compatible smartphones by
upgrading operating systems to the version that supports Wi-Fi
Calling, and enabling this in Settings.
102
 International Telecommunication Union ( ITU )
• ITU is the United Nations spectrum and satellite
specialised agency for orbits.
information and • It also develops the
communication technical standards that
technologies (ICTs). ensure networks and
• Members: 193 countries technologies to
+ 800 private-sector seamlessly interconnect.
entities and academic • It also strives to improve
institutions. access to ICTs among the
• HQ: Geneva, Switzerland. underserved
• ITU is responsible for communities worldwide.
allocating global radio
103
Additive Manufacturing
• Why in news?
➢ Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) prepared a strategy
paper titled “National Strategy on Additive manufacturing (AM)”. ( Jan 2021 )
• About National Strategy on Additive manufacturing (AM)
➢ Strategy aims to promote various verticals of the AM sector, including machines, materials,
software and designs to leverage the untapped business opportunities that will unfold in the near
future.
➢ This will further accelerate the adoption of untapped potential business opportunities in the near
future and the execution of recommendations as laid out in the National Electronics Policy, 2019.
➢ Its objectives include:
▪ Ensure creation of a sustainable ecosystem for the AM industry to compete globally.
▪ Position India as a global Innovation and Research hub for Additive Manufacturing.
▪ Promote creation of Indian IPR.
➢ Strategy envisages:
▪ Creation of National Additive Manufacturing Centre: A dedicated agency e constituted to spearhead the
National Initiative for positioning India at the forefront of development of AM technologies and address legal &
ethical issues arising out of it.
▪ Engineering curriculum suitable for bachelor and master degrees to be developed through in consultation with
Industry and be introduced in ITI’s /NIT’s/IITs.
 Additive Manufacturing (AM)
3D printing
• Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is defined as the
technology that constructs a three-dimensional object from a
digital 3D model or a Computer-aided design (CAD) model by
adding material layer by layer.
• The addition of material can happen in multiple ways, namely
power deposition, resin curing, filament fusing.
➢ The deposition and solidification are controlled by computer to create
a three-dimensional object.
➢ These objects can be of almost any shape or geometry.
• Traditional manufacturing methods, by contrast, are subtractive
in nature.
➢ Subtractive manufacturing involves removing parts of a block of
material in order to create the desired shape.
➢ Cutting wood into useful shapes, for instance, is a very simple example
of a subtractive process.
• USA's market share on AM is 36%, followed by EU as 26% and
China 14% and India holds a meagre 1.4% of the AM global
market share.
• Thermoplastics, Metals, Ceramics as well as Biomaterials can be
used in additive manufacturing.
4D Printing

• Scientists have successfully developed the world's first 4D printing for

ceramics.
• It can be used to create complex, shape-changing objects.
• 4D printing is conventional 3D printing combined with the additional element
of time as the 4th dimension.
• The 4D printed objects can re-shape or self-assemble themselves over time
with external stimuli, such as mechanical force, temperature, or a magnetic
field.
• The existing 3D-printed ceramic productions are usually difficult to deform
and hinder the production of ceramics with complex shapes.
• A novel ceramic ink was developed to stretch the ceramic products beyond its
initial length and allow complex shapes with heat treatment

106
 RFID
• Why in News ?
➢National Highways Authority of India launched
two mobile apps MyFASTag and FASTag Partner
to facilitate Electronic Toll Collection. FASTag is a
device which uses RFID technology for making
toll-payment directly from the prepaid account.
• About RFID
• Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is the use
of radio waves to read and capture information
stored on a tag attached to an object. A tag can
be read from up to several feet away and does
not need to be within direct line-of-sight of the
reader to be tracked. It is applied for tracking
items or as a pass.
107
• Near Field Communication (NFC) is
a shortrange high frequency
wireless communication
technology that enables the
exchange of data between devices
over about a 10 cm distance. It is
used in credit card related
payments, e-booking etc.

108
• Barcode scanner detects the light reflected from
the barcode. This needs to be kept in range of
several inches to several feet to read the code.
• QR code (Quick Response code)
• It’s a two-dimensional (matrix) machinereadable bar
code made up of black and white square. This code
can be read by the camera of a smartphone.
• It carries information both horizontally and vertically.
It has error correction capability and data stored in it
can be restored even if it is partially damaged or
dirty.
• It is capable of 360 degrees (omnidirectional), high
speed reading.
• QR Code can store up to 7089 digits as compared to
conventional bar codes which can store max 20 digits.

109
UPSC 2022
Consider the following communication technologies :
1. Closed-circuit Television
2. Radio Frequency Identification
3. Wireless Local Area Network
Which of the above are considered ShortRange devices/technologies ?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

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 SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
• Why in News?
➢ A century later, a clearer picture of how mercury
becomes a superconductor. Superconductivity was first
discovered in mercury, yet scientists required 111 years
to explain how it becomes superconducting. ( Jan 2023 )
➢ For the First Time, Physicists Have Achieved
Superconductivity at Room Temperature. ( Oct 2020 )
• About :
➢ For the first time, physicists have achieved the
resistance-free flow of an electrical current in a material
at room temperature : 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees
Fahrenheit).
➢ The material used is a combination of carbon, sulphur
and hydrogen.
➢ Although, the sample sizes used were microscopic and
the pressure at which superconductivity emerged are
still rather impractical. This achievement will pave the
way forward for generation of superconductivity in
atmospheric conditions.

111
 Superconductors
• A superconductor is a material that
can conduct electricity or transport
electrons from one atom to another with
no resistance.
• No heat, sound or any other form of energy
would be released from the material when it
has reached critical temperature (Tc), or the
temperature at which the material becomes
superconductive.
• The critical temperature for superconductors
is the temperature at which the electrical
resistivity of metal drops to zero.
• Prominent examples include aluminium,
niobium, magnesium diboride, etc.

112
Meissner effect:
• When a material makes the transition
from the normal to the
superconducting state, it actively
excludes magnetic fields from its
interior and this is called the Meissner
effect.
• Yttrium barium copper oxide
YBa2Cu3O7

113
Potential benefits of superconductivity at
room temperature
• Medical and biopharma applications: Low- modernization and increase energy
temperature superconducting (LTS) security.
materials and high field magnets are used • Powerful new superconducting generators,
in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and high-capacity cables and fault current
medical Magnetic Resonance Imaging limiters are among the solutions that will
(MRI). enhance the efficiency and reliability of
• Superconductivity and Big Science: electricity generation, transport and
Superconductivity is a core technology that distribution.
has fueled the progress in high-energy • Sustainable mobility: The use of
physics accelerators and in thermonuclear superconductors also offers promise of
fusion reactors. The Large Hadron Collider innovations in the field of mobility.
(LHC) at CERN uses more than a thousand Example- Japan Railway project for the
superconducting materials. construction of the Chuo Shinkansen
• Power generation and distribution: These Maglev Line, a magnetically levitated high-
materials are potentially key in the suite of speed train between Tokyo and Nagoya.
technologies that can help facilitate grid
114
 TARANG SANCHAR PORTAL
• Why in News?
• The Telecom Department launched a
portal – Tarang Sanchar Portal that
will allow people to track radiation
emitted from mobile towers within a
locality.
• The portal will empower consumers
to know about the towers working in
a particular area and whether they
are compliant to the Electromagnetic
field (EMF) emission norms defined
by the government.
• In general, mobile tower emissions
rules in India are ten times more
stringent than the global
norms

115
About radiation
• Energy emitted from a source is generally referred to as radiation. There are two types of
radiation:
1. Ionizing radiation
• It is radiation with enough energy to cause chemical changes by breaking chemical bonds.
• This ionization process results in the formation of two charged particles or ions: the molecule with a net positive charge, and
the free electron with a negative charge.
• This effect can cause damage to living tissue.
• Examples include heat or light from the sun, microwaves from an oven, X rays from an X-ray tube, and gamma rays from
radioactive elements
2. Non-ionizing radiation
• It is the term given to radiation in the part of the electromagnetic spectrum where there is insufficient energy to cause
ionization but may have enough energy to excite molecules and atoms causing then to vibrate faster.
• Example: It includes electric and magnetic fields, radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, and visible radiation.

116
Application of Radiation
• Medical Application: X-Ray, CT, and PET machines use X-ray (X-ray and CT)
and Gamma radiation (PET) to produce detailed images of the human body,
• Industrial Application: to examine welds for defects or irregularities, or
examining other materials to locate structural anomalies or internal
components.
• Food irradiation is the process of using radioactive sources to sterilize
foodstuffs.
• As a disinfectant: Ultraviolet light is used to disinfect drinking water in some
homes.
• Pollution Abatement: Radiation is used to help remove toxic pollutants, such
as exhaust gases from coal-fired power stations and industry. For example,
electron beam radiation.

117
Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2022
• Syllabus : Government Policies &
Interventions Cyber Security IT &
Computers
• Why in News?
• The Union Government has released
a revised personal data protection
bill, now called the Digital Personal
Data Protection Bill, 2022.
• The Bill has been introduced after 3
months of the withdrawal of
the Personal Data Protection Bill,
2019.(21st November 2022)

Arvind_Unacademy 118
What are the Seven Principles of the 2022
Bill?
• Firstly, usage of personal data by organisations must be done in a manner that
is lawful, fair to the individuals concerned and transparent to individuals.
• Secondly, personal data must only be used for the purposes for which it was
collected.
• The third principle talks of data minimisation.
• The fourth principle puts an emphasis on data accuracy when it comes to
collection.
• The fifth principle talks of how personal data that is collected cannot be “stored
perpetually by default” and storage should be limited to a fixed duration.
• The sixth principle says that there should be reasonable safeguards to
ensure there is “no unauthorized collection or processing of personal data”.
• Seventh principle states that “the person who decides the purpose and means of
the processing of personal data should be accountable for such processing”.

Arvind_Unacademy 119
What are the Key Features of the Digital
Personal Data Protection Bill?
• Data Principal and Data Fiduciary:
• Data Principal refers to the individual whose data is being collected.
• In the case of children (<18 years), their parents/lawful guardians will be considered
their “Data Principals”.
• Data Fiduciary is the entity (individual, company, firm, state etc), which decides
the “purpose and means of the processing of an individual’s personal data”.
• Personal Data is “any data by which an individual can be identified”.
• Processing means “the entire cycle of operations that can be carried out in respect of
personal data”.
• Significant Data Fiduciary:
• Significant Data Fiduciaries are those who deal with a high volume of personal data.
The Central government will define who is designated under this category based on a
number of factors.
• Such entities will have to appoint a ‘Data protection officer’ and an independent Data
Auditor.

Arvind_Unacademy 120
Rights of Individuals
• Access to Information:
• The bill ensures that individuals should be able to “access basic information” in
languages specified in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• Right to Consent:
• Individuals need to give consent before their data is processed and “every individual
should know what items of personal data a Data Fiduciary wants to collect and
the purpose of such collection and further processing”.
• Individuals also have the right to withdraw consent from a Data Fiduciary.
• Right to Erase:
• Data principals will have the right to demand the erasure and correction of data
collected by the data fiduciary.
• Right to Nominate:
• Data principals will also have the right to nominate an individual who will exercise
these rights in the event of their death or incapacity.

Arvind_Unacademy 121
Features of the Digital Personal Data
Protection Bill
• Data Protection Board: the Government can access data of
• The Bill also proposes to set up a Data Indians from there.
Protection Board to ensure compliance • Financial Penalties:
with the Bill. • For Data Fiduciary:
• In case of an unsatisfactory response • The bill proposes to impose significant
from the Data Fiduciary, the consumers penalties on businesses that undergo
can file a complaint to the Data data breaches or fail to notify users
Protection Board. when breaches happen.
• The penalties will be imposed ranging
• Cross-border Data Transfer: from Rs. 50 crores to Rs. 500 crores.
• The bill allows for cross-border storage • For Data Principal:
and transfer of data to “certain • If a user submits false documents while
notified countries and territories” signing up for an online service, or files
provided they have a suitable data frivolous grievance complaints, the user
security landscape, and could be fined up to Rs 10,000.

Arvind_Unacademy 122
Exemptions
• The government can exempt certain businesses from adhering to
provisions of the bill on the basis of the number of users and the
volume of personal data processed by the entity.
• This has been done keeping in mind startups of the country who had
complained that the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was too “compliance
intensive”.
• National security-related exemptions, similar to the previous 2019
version, have been kept intact.
• The Centre has been empowered to exempt its agencies from adhering to
provisions of the Bill in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India,
security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, maintenance of
public order or preventing incitement to any cognisable offence.

Arvind_Unacademy 123
Why is Digital Personal Data Protection Bill
Significant?
• The new Bill offers significant concessions on cross-border data
flows, in a departure from the previous Bill’s contentious requirement
of local storage of data within India’s geography.
• It offers a relatively soft stand on data localisation requirements and
permits data transfer to select global destinations which is likely
to foster country-to-country trade agreements.
• The bill recognises the data principal's right to postmortem privacy
(Withdraw Consent) which was missing from the PDP Bill, 2019 but
had been recommended by the Joint Parliamentary Committee
(JPC).

Arvind_Unacademy 124
How has India Strengthened Data Protection
Regime?
• Justice K. S. Puttaswamy (Retd) vs with a draft Data Protection Bill.
Union of India 2017: • The Report has a wide range of
recommendations to strengthen privacy
• In August 2017, a nine-judge bench of law in India including restrictions on
the Supreme Court in Justice K. S. processing and collection of data, Data
Puttaswamy (Retd) Vs Union of Protection Authority, right to be
India unanimously held that Indians forgotten, data localisation etc.
have a constitutionally • Information Technology
protected fundamental right to
privacy that is an intrinsic part of life (Intermediary Guidelines and
and liberty under Article 21. Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules
• B.N. Srikrishna Committee 2017: 2021:
• IT Rules (2021) mandate social media
• Government appointed a committee of platforms to exercise greater diligence
experts for Data protection under the with respect to the content on their
chairmanship of Justice B N platforms.
Srikrishna in August 2017, that
submitted its report in July 2018 along

Arvind_Unacademy 125
What Data Protection Laws are there in Other
Nations?
• European Union Model:
• The General Data Protection Regulation focuses on a comprehensive data
protection law for processing of personal data.
• In the EU, the right to privacy is enshrined as a fundamental right that seeks to
protect an individual’s dignity and her right over the data she generates.
• China Model:
• New Chinese laws on data privacy and security issued over the last 12 months
include the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), which came into effect in
November 2021.
• It gives Chinese data principals new rights as it seeks to prevent the misuse of personal data.
• The Data Security Law (DSL), which came into force in September 2021, requires
business data to be categorized by levels of importance, and puts new restrictions
on cross-border transfers.

Arvind_Unacademy 126
US Model
• There is no comprehensive set of privacy rights or principles in the
US that, like the EU’s GDPR, addresses the use, collection, and
disclosure of data.
• Instead, there is limited sector-specific regulation. The approach
towards data protection is different for the public and private sectors.
• The activities and powers of the government vis-a-vis personal information
are well-defined and addressed by broad legislation such as the Privacy
Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, etc.
• For the private sector, there are some sector-specific norms.

Arvind_Unacademy 127
UPSC 2021
‘Right to Privacy’ is protected under which Article of the Constitution of
India?
(a) Article 15
(b) Article 19
(c) Article 21
(d) Article 29

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