2021 · GS Paper 4 · Q2(a) · 10 marks
Impact of digital technology as reliable source of input for rational decision making is a debatable issue. Critically evaluate with suitable example.
In short
Digital technology is a reliable input for rational decisions only when its data is verified, its algorithms auditable and a human stays accountable, so it should inform rather than replace judgement. Cyclone Fani evacuations show its strength, while the 2018 Dhule lynchings show the cost of unverified input.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 278 words
Real-time evidence
IMD's satellite tracking let Odisha evacuate about 1.2 million people before Cyclone Fani (2019).
Planning by data
PM Gati Shakti (2021) puts the GIS data of many ministries on one platform, so infrastructure routes are chosen on evidence rather than discretion.
Cleaner targeting
Aadhaar-linked DBT weeded out duplicate and ghost beneficiaries, and every digital decision leaves an audit trail that can be questioned under the RTI Act.
Manipulated inputs
Cambridge Analytica (2018) harvested data of about 87 million Facebook users to micro-target voters.
Misinformation
WhatsApp child-lifting rumours led a mob to lynch five men in Dhule, Maharashtra in 2018.
Algorithmic bias
Amazon scrapped an AI hiring tool after it downgraded women, as Reuters revealed in 2018, and the Gender Shades study (2018) found facial-recognition errors of up to 34.7% for darker-skinned women.
Automation bias
Lawyers in *Mata v. Avianca* (2023) were sanctioned for filing ChatGPT-invented precedents they never verified.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2021 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.