The Central government on Thursday came up with new stringent guidelines for social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, along with code of ethics for over-the-top (OTT) platforms and digital media. Addressing the media, the Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad said that social media platforms will be classified under two categories—social media intermediaries and significant social media intermediaries—with the latter being subject to greater obligations.
The government will soon notify a list of significant social media intermediaries soon, the minister said, adding that platforms with a “significant” number of users will be classified as significant social media intermediaries. A benchmark number would be set for the classification, he said. Facebook faced a global backlash last week after blocking news feeds in Australia in a dispute with the government over revenuesharing. In India, Twitter ignored the government’s orders to remove ‘unlawful’ content over farmers’ protests.
The new measures will require big social media companies to set up a grievance redressal mechanism and appoint executives to coordinate with law enforcement, the government said in a news statement. The government said the guidelines in its code of digital media ethics were needed to hold social media and other companies accountable for misuse and abuse. Social media firms should be “more responsible and accountable,” Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in outlining the rules. The latest draft rules— which would be legally enforceable—say companies should remove content as early as possible, but not later than 36 hours, after a government or legal order.
They must also assist in investigations or other cybersecurity-related incidents within 72 hours of a request. Further, if a post depicts an individual in any sexual act or conduct, then companies must disable or remove such content within a day of receiving a complaint, the rules added. A detailed version of the guidelines is to be published later and take effect three months after that, the government said. It did not specify the date, however. Facebook said that it welcomes rules that prescribe ways to address challenges on the web. “The details of rules like these matter and we will carefully study the new rules,” it said in a statement.
When contacted by Reuters, Twitter declined to comment. Prasad also told reporters the rules would oblige the companies to reveal the originator of a message or posting when asked to do so through a legal order.
The rules will also require OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime to classify content into five categories based on users’ age, the government said. Online news media will also be regulated as part of the new rules, with the ministry of information and broadcasting creating an oversight system, the government added.