📌 Snapshot
- Digital footprints, etiquette, IPR, cyber crime and the IT Act explained with case based CUET practice.
- Why deleted posts never fully disappear, what a good netizen does, and who owns an idea, a logo or a program.
- Tables that separate copyright, patent and trademark, plagiarism and infringement, and every cyber crime.
- Scenario drills for the case based questions NTA prefers, plus ergonomics and safe browsing habits.
📖 Detailed Notes
Written and reviewed by Rohit Singh, Computer Science & Commerce faculty at UniDrill (MCA, Osmania University · 6 years teaching). Based on NCERT Computer Science Class XI, Chapter 11.
Can you really delete a photo you posted?
Preeti posts birthday pictures for her friend Himanshu. After an argument she deletes them from her profile the next morning. By evening, a common friend has one of the pictures, forwarded by Himanshu. The photo was "deleted", yet it still travelled. This chapter explains why: everything you do online leaves a trail, copies of it live on servers you do not control, and that has consequences for privacy, law, ethics and even your health. Unlike earlier chapters, there is no code to trace here. The marks come from reading a short scenario and naming the right concept.
Digital footprint
Whenever you search, send an email, buy a ticket or check a score, you leave a trail of data. That trail is your digital footprint. It covers the websites you visit, the emails you send, the information you submit, and device details such as your IP address and location. It can be created and used with or without your knowledge, and it grows with usage.
| Type | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Active digital footprint | Data you intentionally submit | Emails you write, posts and comments, forms you fill |
| Passive digital footprint | Data left behind unintentionally | Sites visited, IP address, location, apps used, browsing history, cookies |
Some of this sits in your browser (history, cookies, saved passwords, auto fill), but most of it sits on the servers of the websites and apps. You usually cannot erase it and you do not control how it is used. So even if you delete a post, copies may remain on the server or on other people's devices. That is the answer to the opening story. The same trail can also be used to trace a user, location and device, which is how people who spread hate or bully others are tracked down.
Pause and predict: you search for a trekking bag and the next day you see advertisements for bags everywhere. Is that an active or a passive footprint?
Check your answer: passive. You did not choose to hand over that data for advertising. It was generated while you browsed, and the websites used it for targeted advertisements.
Digital society and the netizen
Banking, shopping, learning, entertainment and travel now run on online transactions. A person who uses digital technology along with the Internet is a digital citizen, or netizen. A good netizen uses technology in a safe, ethical and legal way, following three sets of etiquette.
Net etiquette
| Heading | Rule | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Be ethical | No copyright violation | Do not use copyrighted material without the owner's permission |
| Be ethical | Share the expertise | Share knowledge that is true and clear, and check that it is not already available |
| Be respectful | Respect privacy | Do not share another person's private files or messages without consent |
| Be respectful | Respect diversity | Respect differences in knowledge, experience and culture |
| Be responsible | Avoid cyber bullying | Do not harass, threaten or ridicule anyone online |
| Be responsible | Do not feed the troll | Ignore people who post provoking messages only to get a reaction |
Cyber bullying means insulting, degrading or intimidating someone online, usually repeatedly: spreading rumours, giving threats, posting a victim's personal information, harassment, or posts meant to publicly ridicule. An Internet troll deliberately starts quarrels or posts inflammatory or off topic messages just for amusement. Trolls survive on attention, so the best response is to give them none.
Communication and social media etiquette
| Area | Rule | Meaning in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Communication: be precise | Respect time | Do not waste time on irrelevant mails, and do not expect an instant reply |
| Communication: be precise | Respect data limits | Avoid huge attachments; send compressed files or share a link from cloud storage |
| Communication: be polite | Stay non aggressive | In real time chats (synchronous) or emails and forum posts (asynchronous), do not abuse others |
| Communication: be credible | Think before commenting | Your comments build your reputation over time |
| Social media: be secure | Choose passwords wisely | Strong, changed regularly, never shared |
| Social media: be secure | Know who you befriend | Unknown people may have unsafe intentions |
| Social media: be secure | Beware of fake information | Do not believe everything; check before trusting or sharing |
| Social media: be reliable | Think before uploading | Uploaded content stays on remote servers even after deletion |
Junk email is called spam. Do not reply to it and do not open its attachments. Never arrange to meet an online friend, because no matter how genuine someone appears, they may be hiding their identity.
Beyond the textbook. For the exam: a strong password is changed regularly and never shared. In reality: many security guidelines now put length ahead of complexity. A long phrase made of several unrelated words is usually harder to guess than a short password full of symbols, and using one password for many sites is the more serious risk, because a single leak then opens every account. A password manager helps you keep a different strong password everywhere.
Data protection
Sensitive data is data that can cause substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience or unfairness to a person if it is breached. Examples are biometric information, health information, financial information, and personal documents, images, audio and video. Its privacy is protected using encryption, authentication and other secure methods, so that only the authorised user can access it and only for a legitimate purpose. Countries make their own data protection policies (laws), which are legal documents giving guidelines on the processing, storage and transmission of sensitive information, so that it is not improperly modified or disclosed.
Beyond the textbook. For the exam: every country has its own data protection policies. In reality: India's own law on this subject is the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which deals with how organisations may handle people's personal digital data. The Information Technology Act of 2000, which you meet later in this chapter, remains the main law on cyber crime and electronic records.
Intellectual property rights (IPR)
If you own a house, you own property. If you come up with an original idea, that idea is your intellectual property: inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names and logos. Ownership lies with the creator or holder, who can then earn recognition and financial benefit. IPR is protected legally through copyrights, patents and trademarks.
| Feature | Copyright | Patent | Trademark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protects | Original creative works: writing, photographs, audio, video, sculptures, architecture, software | Inventions | Visual symbols, words, names, designs, slogans and labels that distinguish a brand |
| How obtained | Automatically granted to the creator | The inventor must apply (file); protection lasts 20 years, after which anyone may use the invention | Registered by the owner |
| Rights | Copy, create derivative works, distribute, publicly display or perform | Exclusive right to use, sell or distribute the invention | Only the owner may use the mark for those goods or services |
| Example | A novel's author controls use of the story | A new device or process | A sports brand's name, so no one else sells shoes under it |
A trademark also blocks confusingly similar names. A copy-cat brand with one letter changed can still be an infringement. But the same name may be registered for unrelated goods, such as notebooks.
Worked example: protecting a software product. A team creates a program with its own name and logo. Which right covers which part?
| Part of the product | Right that protects it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The program code | Copyright | Software is a creative work, and copyright arises automatically |
| The functional expression of the idea (what the invention does) | Patent | An invention must be applied for and is protected for 20 years |
| The name and logo | Trademark | They distinguish this product from others |
Violation of IPR
| Violation | What it means | Everyday example |
|---|---|---|
| Plagiarism | Presenting someone else's idea or work as your own, or using it without naming the source | Copying a paragraph from a website without crediting it |
| Copyright infringement | Using someone's work without permission (or without paying, if it is sold) | Using a downloaded image in your project when the owner has not allowed it |
| Trademark infringement | Unauthorised use of another's trademark on products or services | A shop selling goods under a famous brand's name without permission |
Two ideas decide most questions. First, citing the source does not make copying legal: even if you name the owner, using a picture they have not allowed is still copyright infringement. Second, being open for public use does not remove the duty to cite: you must still credit the author, or it is plagiarism. And remember: just because something is on the Internet does not mean it is free to use.
Worked example: classify the case.
| Scenario | Concept | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| A student downloads a 2 minute video from the Internet, adds the text "Prepared by" with his own name, and emails it as his own work | Plagiarism and copyright infringement | He presents another's work as his own and used it without permission |
| A student copies a paragraph from a free-to-use site and gives no source | Plagiarism | Public content still has to be cited |
| A student uses a photo from a website that says it cannot be reused freely, and writes the website's name under it | Copyright infringement | A reference does not replace permission |
| A company prints another firm's logo on its own products | Trademark infringement | Unauthorised use of a trademark |
| A person installs a copy of paid software without buying a licence | Software piracy, which is copyright infringement | Unauthorised copying, whether for sale or personal use |
Pause and predict: a developer has invented a new way to compress video and wants exclusive rights to the technique itself. Which IPR should she apply for: copyright, patent or trademark?
Check your answer: a patent. It protects an inventive technique or product and must be applied for. Copyright would protect only the particular code or text she wrote, and a trademark would protect only the product's name or logo.
Public access and open source software
Copyright can restrict how others use a work. If others are allowed to use and build on existing work, it encourages collaboration and innovation. Licences set the rules for this. A public licence lets others use and even modify a work without seeking individual permission.
| Licence | Designed for | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| Creative Commons (CC) | All kinds of creative work: websites, music, film, literature | The right to share, use and build on the work, while the author decides the conditions |
| GNU General Public Licence (GPL) | Mainly software | The freedom to run, study, share and modify the software; the same rights must remain in derived works |
GPL software may still be sold: those who distribute it may charge a fee or give it free. This separates GPL from freeware, which allows copying for personal use but prohibits commercial distribution, and from proprietary software, where copying is prohibited by copyright law and the source code is not shared.
Free and open source software (FOSS) has its source code open for anyone to read, modify, correct and improve, and it has a large community of users and developers. Linux based operating systems such as Ubuntu and Fedora, the LibreOffice package and the Mozilla Firefox browser are standard examples. Software piracy is the unauthorised use or distribution of software. It is copyright infringement whether the copy is sold, given away or kept for yourself.
Beyond the textbook. For the exam: CC and GPL are public licences that let others use and build on a work. In reality: open does not mean unconditional. Creative Commons licences come in several versions, and almost all of them require you to credit the author (attribution). Some also forbid commercial use or changes. The licence text, not the word "free", tells you what you may do with a work.
Cyber crime
Cyber crime is a criminal activity carried out in a digital environment. Either the computer itself is the target, or the computer is used as a tool to commit the crime. It may be against a person, group, organisation or country, with intent to cause physical harm, financial loss or mental harassment. Two terms appear often: a virus is a piece of malicious code that can copy itself and damage data or the system, and malware is software designed to gain unauthorised access to computer systems.
| Crime | What happens | Key point to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Hacking | Unauthorised access to a computer, network or digital system | Done by people with technical expertise who look for bugs to exploit |
| Phishing | Fake emails or websites that look genuine are used to collect usernames, passwords, bank and card details | Most common method: email spoofing, using a forged sender address; also done by calls and text messages |
| Identity theft | Stolen personal data (email, bank credentials, passport, PAN, Aadhaar) is used to commit fraud | Kinds: financial, criminal and medical identity theft |
| Ransomware | The attacker locks the user's data, usually by encrypting it, and demands money to unlock it or threatens to publish private information | Spreads via malicious sites, doubtful software sources, spam attachments and malicious ads |
Hackers come in two colours.
| Feature | Ethical hacker (white hat) | Non ethical hacker (black hat, cracker) |
|---|---|---|
| Intent | Positive: find weaknesses before attackers do | Negative: steal data, damage or bring down systems |
| Method | Tries to exploit a site to find its loopholes | Breaks through security for identity theft, money, to hurt a rival site or to leak information |
| Result | Reports the findings to the owner, who can fix them | Illegal and malicious use of the skill |
Worked example: name the crime.
| Scenario | Crime | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| An email looking like it is from your bank asks you to "verify" your password at a link whose address is slightly different | Phishing (by email spoofing) | A fake message tries to collect sensitive details |
| All your files suddenly become unreadable and a message demands payment to unlock them | Ransomware | Data is encrypted and a ransom is demanded |
| A person uses a stolen Aadhaar number and PAN to take a loan | Identity theft (financial) | Stolen personal data used for monetary gain |
| A specialist is hired to try to break into a company website and then reports the loopholes | Ethical hacking (white hat) | Positive intent, findings reported to the owner |
| A person repeatedly posts embarrassing rumours about a classmate | Cyber bullying | Repeated targeting with intent to hurt |
Combatting and preventing cyber crime. The chapter's twin approach is be alert and take legal help. The safety measures are practical habits.
| Habit | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Take regular backups | A ransomware attack cannot take away the only copy |
| Keep antivirus and system software, including the browser, updated | Closes known weaknesses |
| Avoid pirated software; download only from known and secure (HTTPS) sites | Pirated and doubtful sources can carry malware |
| Do not visit untrusted sites or heed security certificate warnings | The browser warns you when a certificate cannot be verified |
| Use strong, different, periodically changed passwords | One stolen password should not open everything |
| On someone else's computer, do not let the browser save passwords or auto fill; use a private window | Leaves no data behind |
| Refuse cookies from unknown sites | Limits tracking |
| Shop and bank only on well-known, secure sites; secure your Wi-Fi with a strong password | Protects transactions and your network |
Pause and predict: you receive an email attachment from an unknown sender called "invoice". What should you do?
Check your answer: do not open it. Unknown attachments and links are a common way to deliver malware, ransomware and phishing pages. Open attachments only when they come from a trusted source and do not look doubtful.
The Indian Information Technology Act (IT Act)
The Government of India's Information Technology Act, 2000, amended in 2008, gives guidelines on the processing, storage and transmission of sensitive information. Many Indian states have cyber cells in police stations where cyber crimes can be reported. The Act has these roles:
| Role | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal framework for electronic governance | Gives legal recognition to electronic records and digital signatures |
| Defines cyber crimes and penalties | Covers offences such as tampering with computer source documents, hacking, using another person's password, and publishing sensitive personal data without consent |
| Dispute resolution | A Cyber Appellate Tribunal was set up to settle disputes arising from cyber crime |
| Builds confidence | People can use credit cards online without fear of misuse, and government departments can accept, create and store official documents in digital form |
A digital signature is the digital equivalent of a paper certificate. It works through a unique digital ID issued to the user by a Certified Authority (CA). Signing a document digitally attaches the user's identity, which can then be used to authenticate.
Beyond the textbook. For the exam: a Cyber Appellate Tribunal settles disputes under the IT Act. In reality: the Cyber Appellate Tribunal no longer exists as a separate body. Since 2017 its work has been handled by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). Questions follow the textbook's wording, so write the tribunal named there.
Impact on health
We spend long hours in front of mobiles, laptops, televisions and consoles. Poor posture and overuse can harm body and mind, and excessive Internet use can become addictive. Ergonomics is the branch of science that designs or arranges workplaces, including furniture, equipment and systems, so that they are safe and comfortable for the user. It reduces strain, fatigue and injury from long use.
| Problem | Cause | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Eye strain, dry, watering or itchy eyes | Continuous screen glare, small handheld screens | Maintain the viewing distance and angle; periodically focus on distant objects; take outdoor breaks |
| Backache, neck and shoulder pain | Bad posture | Arrange the workspace as ergonomics advises; sit with back supported, feet on the floor, wrists straight |
| Pain in wrists and fingers | Overuse of a keyboard (physical or touchscreen) that is not aligned ergonomically | Align the keyboard properly; seek medical help if it persists |
| Stress, fatigue, obesity, addiction | Too much time on digital devices | Balance online time with sport, hobbies and meeting friends in real life |
Taking care of the device matters too. Clean the screen with a soft microfibre cloth and a liquid made for screens, keep the device away from heat and direct sunlight in a ventilated room, and do not eat or drink over the keyboard.
Exam traps
| The trap | Why it's tempting | The truth |
|---|---|---|
| Deleting a post removes it from the Internet | The post vanishes from your profile | Copies stay on servers and other devices; the trail remains in your digital footprint |
| Browsing history is an active footprint | You did browse | You did not choose to leave it, so it is passive |
| Copyright must be applied for | Patents must | Copyright is automatic; patents and trademarks need an application or registration |
| A patent protects a company logo | Both are "company property" | A logo is protected by trademark; a patent protects an invention |
| Naming the source makes copying legal | Credit sounds like permission | Citing avoids plagiarism but not copyright infringement |
| Free content needs no credit | Anyone may use it | Cite the author even for public use content, or it is plagiarism |
| All hackers are criminals | Hacking sounds illegal | A white hat hacker works with positive intent and reports the weaknesses |
| Phishing and ransomware are the same | Both start with a bad email or site | Phishing steals sensitive details; ransomware locks data and demands payment |
60-second revision
| Topic | Lock this in |
|---|---|
| Digital footprint | Active = submitted intentionally; passive = left unintentionally; mostly on servers; cannot be fully erased |
| Netizen | Safe, ethical, legal use; net, communication and social media etiquette |
| Cyber bullying / troll | Repeated hurtful online behaviour / provoker; ignore trolls |
| Sensitive data | Biometric, health, financial; protected by encryption and authentication |
| Copyright | Automatic; creative works including software |
| Patent | Must apply; inventions; 20 years |
| Trademark | Symbols, names, logos, slogans |
| Plagiarism | Passing off someone's work as yours, or not citing the source |
| Copyright infringement | Using work without permission, or without paying |
| Licences | CC for creative works; GNU GPL mainly for software; FOSS has open source code |
| Cyber crime | Hacking (white or black hat), phishing (email spoofing), identity theft, ransomware |
| IT Act | 2000, amended 2008; recognises electronic records and digital signatures; CA issues the signature |
| Health | Ergonomics; viewing distance, posture, breaks, balance |
Where this chapter connects
- Previous: Tuples and Dictionaries finishes the programming data types of this unit.
- Same unit, earlier: Emerging Trends covers technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing, whose use raises the data and privacy questions of this chapter.
- Class XII link: Societal Impacts in the Informatics Practices course and Security Aspects go deeper into malware, cookies, firewalls and safe practices.
🎯 Practice MCQs
First 3 questions free · create a free account to unlock the rest — answers & explanations included, no payment needed
Q1. Which of the following is an example of a passive digital footprint?
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: C
A passive footprint is data left behind without any deliberate action to submit it, such as the IP address, location and pages visited. Options A, B and D are data that you intentionally submit, which makes them active footprints.
Q2. Match List I with List II. List I: (i) Copyright (ii) Patent (iii) Trademark (iv) Plagiarism. List II: (p) protects names, logos and slogans of a brand (q) is granted automatically to the creator of an original work (r) must be applied for and protects an invention for 20 years (s) presenting another person's work as your own.
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: A
Copyright arises automatically, a patent has to be filed and lasts 20 years, a trademark covers brand identifiers, and plagiarism is passing off someone else's work. Option B swaps copyright and patent, and option C swaps patent and trademark.
Q3. A company develops a software product. Which form of IPR protects the name and the logo of the product?
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: C
A trademark protects the visual symbols, words and names that distinguish a product. Copyright protects the program code, and a patent protects the functional expression of the idea.
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Q4. Assertion (A): A photo that you delete from a social networking site may still be available with other people. Reason (R): Data uploaded online is stored on remote servers and can be copied or forwarded by others.
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: A
Once uploaded, data remains on servers and can be saved or shared by others, so deleting your copy does not erase every copy. R is the reason A is true.
Q5. A person breaks into a bank's computer network to steal customer data and sell it. Such a person is called a:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
Gaining unauthorised access with malicious intent and for monetary gain describes a black hat hacker, also called a cracker. White hat and ethical hackers work with positive intent and report weaknesses to the owner.
Q6. An email that looks like it was sent by your bank, but whose web address is slightly different, asks you to enter your password. This is an example of:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
A fake message made to look genuine, used to collect passwords and other sensitive details, is phishing. The forged sender address is email spoofing. Ransomware locks data and demands payment instead.
Q7. All the files on a computer are encrypted by an attacker, who then demands payment to restore access. This is:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: C
Blocking access to data, usually by encrypting it, and demanding money to release it is ransomware. Phishing steals details with fake messages, and identity theft misuses stolen personal data.
Q8. Which licence is primarily designed to provide a public licence for software?
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
The GNU GPL is meant mainly for software and gives users the freedom to run, study, share and modify it. Creative Commons is used for creative works such as music, film and websites. Trademarks and patents are not licences of this kind.
Q9. Which of the following statements are correct? (i) Copyright is granted to the creator automatically. (ii) A patent protects an invention for 20 years. (iii) A trademark can protect a brand name and logo. (iv) Any image found on the Internet may be used freely.
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: A
Statements (i), (ii) and (iii) are true. Statement (iv) is false, because being on the Internet does not make an image free to use, and its copyright status must be checked. So only option A is correct.
Q10. A student copies a paragraph from a website whose content is free for public use and pastes it in a project without mentioning the source. This is an example of:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
Presenting content without crediting the source is plagiarism, even when the content may be used freely. Copyright infringement needs use without permission, and the site allowed the use.
Q11. The Information Technology Act of India, passed in 2000, was amended in the year:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
The IT Act, 2000 was amended in 2008. It gives legal recognition to electronic records and digital signatures and lists cyber crimes and their penalties.
Q12. A digital signature uses a unique digital ID that is issued to the user by a:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: A
A licensed Certified Authority issues the digital ID, which attaches the signer's identity to a document so that it can be authenticated. A cyber cell, in contrast, is a police unit where cyber crimes are reported.
Q13. Ergonomics is the science of:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
Ergonomics deals with arranging furniture, equipment and systems to reduce strain, fatigue and injury from prolonged use. The other options describe encryption, antivirus tools and licensing, which are different topics.
Q14. Which of the following is NOT a recommended measure to reduce the risk of cyber crime?
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: C
Reusing one password means a single leak exposes every account, so a different, strong password should be used for each site and changed periodically. The other three habits are recommended safety measures.
Q15. Which of the following is an example of cyber bullying?
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
Cyber bullying means repeatedly targeting someone online with insulting or threatening behaviour meant to hurt or embarrass. Options A, C and D are polite or protective actions.
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