Social Networking and e-Governance
Social Networking and e-Governance tests responsible participation online and the use of government digital services. CCC asks about privacy settings, digital footprints, cybercrime reporting, and services such as DigiLocker, UMANG and e-sign.
Core rules
- A digital footprint is the record you leave online; it can be persistent and copied.
- Privacy settings control who sees posts, but screenshots and platform data can still leak. Post only what you would accept publicly.
- Strong accounts use long unique passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA); OTPs must never be shared.
- e-Governance is government service delivery through ICT: certificates, bill payments, grievances, land records and identity services.
- Check official domains (often
.gov.inor.nic.in), use official portals or apps, and verify links before entering Aadhaar, PAN or bank details. - Report cyber incidents to the relevant portal or helpline; preserve screenshots and transaction IDs.
Worked example
A message on a social platform says, “Update your Aadhaar immediately at aadhaar-update-help.example; pay ₹99.” The correct action is not to click. The domain is not an official government domain, the request uses urgency, and payment plus identity data is a classic phishing pattern. Instead, open the official UIDAI portal by typing the address, or use an authorised centre. If you already entered data, change passwords, contact the bank if payment data was shared, and report the incident.
Traps
Do not confuse e-governance with e-commerce: both are online, but e-governance delivers public services. A blue tick or large follower count is not proof of a government account. “Friends only” does not stop friends from screenshotting. Public Wi-Fi is not a safe place for banking without protection. Sharing an OTP can bypass 2FA entirely.