Government Issued 105 Directions to Social Media Firms Under New IT Rules

The authorities has issued 105 instructions to social media platforms beneath the brand new IT guidelines that got here into impact in February final 12 months, Parliament was knowledgeable on Friday. According to info shared by minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, the instructions have been issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting beneath the brand new guidelines.

The information shared by the minister exhibits that 94 instructions to dam content material was issued to YouTube between December 2021 and April 2022, 5 to Twitter, and three every to Facebook and Instagram.

Chandrasekhar stated that the federal government’s insurance policies are geared toward guaranteeing open, protected and trusted and accountable Internet for its customers.

He stated that the federal government has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Codes) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”) on February 25, 2021 to make intermediaries together with social media platforms accountable to their customers and improve consumer security on-line.

“Neither the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 nor the above said rules contravene users’ right to privacy,” Chandrasekhar stated.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) can also be stated to conduct compliance audits of social media firms each quarter.

At current, social media platforms are required to reveal their compliance with IT guidelines 2021 each month the place they disclose motion taken by them in response to varied grievances.

“MeitY has now put in place a mechanism to audit compliance of social media intermediaries under IT rules every quarter. As part of the audit, the ministry will verify if social media companies are reporting about grievances raised to them correctly and if their action taken is in sync with the laid out rules,” the supply advised PTI.

To tighten the noose on social media platforms, the federal government has proposed to arrange an appellate panel which may have energy to overrule choices taken by social media firms with respect to any grievance. The public session course of with respect to the proposed rule has been wrapped up by the IT ministry.