New Delhi: The Centre plans to amend the IT rules wherein social media platforms and messaging apps will be required to deploy tools to “identify” and curb unlawful content as well as follow stricter due diligence practices, as per draft amendments.
IT Ministry officials held a meeting last week with senior executives of Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and other companies to discuss the proposed changes in the Information Technology (IT) rules.
Against the backdrop of mob lynching incidents triggered by rumours circulated on WhatsApp and other social media sites, the government has been exploring ways to curb misuse of such platforms. Besides, the effort is to tackle spreading of fake messages on social media ahead of the general elections in 2019.
The government Monday said it is committed to freedom of speech and expression and privacy of its citizens, amid criticism from certain quarters over larger implications of the amendments.
The government last week had authorised ten central agencies to intercept data on any computer, a move that had triggered a political storm with Opposition accusing the Centre of trying to create a “surveillance state”.
According to the draft amendment proposed to the IT rules, which pertain to social media and other online platforms with respect to content, automated tools will have to be deployed to identify and disable “unlawful content”.
“The intermediary (social media platform) shall deploy technology-based automated tools or appropriate mechanisms, with appropriate controls for proactively identifying and removing or disabling public access to unlawful information or content,” said the draft that has been placed on IT ministry’s website Monday.
Another change proposed is that the platforms would have to inform its users to refrain from hosting, uploading or sharing any content that is blasphemous, obscene, defamatory, “hateful or racially, ethnically objectionable”.
Users would be asked to guard against hosting or sharing information that violates any law, deceives or misleads receivers about the origin of messages that are grossly offensive or menacing in nature, or those which threaten national security.
The IT ministry is seeking feedback from the public on the draft amendments by January 15 before taking a final decision. E-mails sent by PTI to social media platforms, including Google, Facebook and WhatsApp seeking comments on their discussions with the government remained unanswered. In its statement on Monday, the IT ministry asserted that the government does not regulate content appearing on social network platforms, although these companies are required to ensure that their platforms are not used to commit and provoke terrorism, extremism, violence and crime.