KEY HIGHLIGHTS
# Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram may be banned if they do not comply with the New Intermediary Guidelines.
# In Feb 2021, MEITy had given a 3-month(up to May 25) deadline to accept the Guidelines.
# Some companies have asked for a 6-month deadline.
What Really Happened so Far?
The Ministry Of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) noted the gazette rules on February 25 and asked Social Media Giants like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Google, WhatsApp, and Instagram (which are having above 5Million users) to accept the new Intermediary Guidelines within the Next three months(up to May 25). As of now per the rules only one company called Koo-an Indian version of Twitter has compiled the new guidelines ahead of the May 25 deadline. As per the rules, tomorrow is the deadline to accept the new guidelines none of the giants have accepted so far except Koo. If these situations continue tomorrow the giants may face Ban⚠️... and criminal action can be taken against them as per the law of India, a government official said in India.
What Giants replied to India?
Revealing whether Facebook will comply with the rules or not, a company spokesperson said in a statement that "we aim to comply with the provisions of the IT rules and continue to discuss a few of the issues which need more engagement with the government. According to the IT rules, we are working to implement operational processes and improve efficiencies. Facebook remains committed to people's ability to freely and safely express themselves on our platforms".And some US-based companies had asked for six months as they are waiting for a response from their US headquarters.
For What these new Rules?
The rules, or the Information Technology(Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules), aim to make social media companies more accountable. The rules include the appointment of the supervisory mechanism will include a committee with representatives from Defenses, Foreign Affairs, Home, I&B, Law, Information Technology, and Development of Women and Children.
What's New in IT Rules?
# As per the new guidelines, offensive posts to be removed in 24 hours and the platforms have to appoint a Chief Complaint Officer.
# Social Media platforms upon being asked either by a court order or a govt authority will be required to disclose the first originator of mischievous tweet or message as the case may be.
# Data retention period is now 6 months.
Is this Only for Social Media or Not?
Definitely not! Such rules are not applicable to Social Media platforms but also to OTT platforms. The Streaming Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others will have to appoint a grievance redressal officer based in India who will take care of the complaints and act on them within 15 days. The new rules also mentioned that the committee will have the sole power to take action on complaints of the violation of codes.
How big they are?
As per the data cited by the government, India has 53 crores WhatsApp users, 44.8 crores Youtube users, 41 crores Facebook subscribers, 21 crores Instagram clients, while 1.75 crores accounts holders are on microblogging platform Twitter. Koo has close to 60 Lakh users, making it a major social media intermediary under the new guidelines.
Meanwhile, Industry experts believe that social media giants must comply with new IT rules and the government also take a Mid-ground. These platforms are now an integral part of digital media and should not be taken off.
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