Primary Country (Mandatory)

United States

Other Country (Optional)

Set News Language for United States

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language[s] (Optional)
No other language available

Set News Language for World

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language(s) (Optional)

Set News Source for United States

Primary Source (Mandatory)
CNN
Other Source[s] (Optional)

Set News Source for World

Primary Source (Mandatory)
AajTak
Other Source(s) (Optional)
  • Countries
    • India
    • United States
    • Qatar
    • Germany
    • China
    • Canada
    • World
  • Categories
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Special
    • All Categories
  • Available Languages for United States
    • English
  • All Languages
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Arabic
    • German
    • Chinese
    • French
  • Sources
    • India
      • AajTak
      • NDTV India
      • The Hindu
      • India Today
      • Zee News
      • NDTV
      • BBC
      • The Wire
      • News18
      • News 24
      • The Quint
      • ABP News
      • Zee News
      • News 24
    • United States
      • CNN
      • Fox News
      • Al Jazeera
      • CBSN
      • NY Post
      • Voice of America
      • The New York Times
      • HuffPost
      • ABC News
      • Newsy
    • Qatar
      • Al Jazeera
      • Al Arab
      • The Peninsula
      • Gulf Times
      • Al Sharq
      • Qatar Tribune
      • Al Raya
      • Lusail
    • Germany
      • DW
      • ZDF
      • ProSieben
      • RTL
      • n-tv
      • Die Welt
      • Süddeutsche Zeitung
      • Frankfurter Rundschau
    • China
      • China Daily
      • BBC
      • The New York Times
      • Voice of America
      • Beijing Daily
      • The Epoch Times
      • Ta Kung Pao
      • Xinmin Evening News
    • Canada
      • CBC
      • Radio-Canada
      • CTV
      • TVA Nouvelles
      • Le Journal de Montréal
      • Global News
      • BNN Bloomberg
      • Métro
Multifunctional Cleaning Kit Buy Now
Men's Pleated Trousers Buy Now
Runnatal Dish Drying Rack Buy Now
OLOV Electric Body Hair Trimmer Buy Now
Linen Wide Leg Pants Buy Now
Michael Kors Crossbody Bag for Women Buy Now
OLCHEE Women’s Workout Sets 2 Piece Buy Now
URAO Laptop Celeron N5095 Quad-Core Buy Now
London Fog Men's Auburn Golf Jacket Buy Now
LANEIGE Lip Glowy Balm Buy Now
Soft Cotton Muslim Jersey Hijab Buy Now
Jacquard Cotton Silk Saree Buy Now
Vinsguir Ab Roller Buy Now
GoPro HERO13 Black: 5.3K Action Camera Buy Now
Ginasy Faux Leather Leggings for Women Buy Now
Men's Knit Blazer Buy Now
Wide Leg Yoga Pants with Pockets Buy Now
Under Armour UA Tech™ Team ½ Zip Buy Now
Smart Piano with Rainbow Lights Buy Now
NELEUS Women's Running Shorts Buy Now
MoreBack to News Headlines
Govt.’s intent is to work with social media intermediaries, not be seen as adversarial: IT MoS

Govt.’s intent is to work with social media intermediaries, not be seen as adversarial: IT MoS

The Hindu
Saturday, October 29, 2022 3:33 PM GMT

The latest amendment to the IT rules puts a definite due diligence obligation on social media compan

The latest amendment to the IT rules puts a definite due diligence obligation on social media companies so that no unlawful content or misinformation is posted on their platforms, said Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar. He also clarified that the new rules do not strengthen the government’s power to moderate content on the Internet while stressing that the government’s intention is to work with the intermediaries, not be an adversary. Excerpts:

There are two issues that we are looking at – safety and trust, and accountability. Earlier, under due diligence, intermediaries had to only broadcast to users about not uploading certain categories of harmful/unlawful content. There was no enforcement. We have changed that to say not only shall intermediaries inform and publish, but also cause that these things don’t happen and in that we have included misinformation (in the content categories). So there is now a definite obligation on the part of the intermediary on content moderation. They have to do it. In case they miss something, then when somebody informs them, that needs to be taken down within 72 hours. There is no other moderation of content. The GAC does not come into the picture at all. The person who points out that there is misinformation is not the government, it could be any one… so the content moderation is not an issue that is going to come to GAC at all. All the non-content related issues come to the GAC… account block/hacked etc. Currently, users just get a ‘thank you for sending your grievance, we will revert to you’ message from these platforms. The purpose of the GAC is to address unresolved grievances. GAC is really a disincentive to intermediaries to not to continue their status quo casual way of approaching grievances redressal… I have enough work… everybody in the Ministry is working hard... to take on the role of being an ombudsman for the Internet. That is not our primary goal. But we are forced to do that because of the lack of progress in the last one year. It is not an area the government wants to get into. We are doing it very, very reluctantly because we have an obligation and duty to the digital Nagriks that someone listens to their grievances; if platforms do not, then at least the government should.

Intermediaries will need to verify it and 72 hours is enough time to verify. If there isn’t ample information available they should take it down. We have done a detailed study and found that the velocity and acceleration of flow of misinformation is 8-10 times faster than any regular information and it reaches a wider audience. Frankly, I am of the opinion that 72 hours is too long. It was proposed to be 24 hours but during consultation it was widely felt that this is early days, so let’s keep it at 72 and then progressively as the platforms and intermediates gain the capacity and capability, this will be brought down. I will urge all the intermediaries that while the letter of the rule say 72 hours, the spirit should be as fast as possible.

 I don’t want things to be adversarial. This is not about just regulating intermediaries. It’s about a shared view on how do we approach a safe and trusted Internet. This (the guidelines) is our view. This view has taken into account all kinds of consultation, including the industry. Yes, this is not as good as no regulation, but the era of no regulation is over. This is absolutely fair. This is absolutely a realistic expectation of intermediaries and our approach to intermediaries is that we are partners. The government of India, the intermediaries and the digital Nagriks (citizens) are three stakeholders in building this trillion-dollar value digital economy and the underlying Internet which is a safe and trusted Internet.

Look we have to have the Internet available, especially this type of thing available in all languages. All 120 crore Indians, they’re all not English and Hindi. So we want this in all languages. But, we are not saying that it has to happen tomorrow. We are signalling through this rule that this is a multilingual Internet and inclusion into the Internet is a very, very important objective.

 I’m working on that. We did extensive public consultation with the industry. We decided on a 72-hour time frame for content removal instead for 24 hours… They said we don’t want GAC, we want a Self Regulatory Organization (SRO). They said this in March and I told them if you come with an SRO, I will include the SRO in these amended rules. We waited at least two months. I could have done these rules two months ago. But the industry did not come up with the SRO. Even today, if the industry tomorrow comes up with a viable SRO which has participation from consumers, participation from industry, participation from the government and is distinctly separate from the first level of grievance redressal, we are happy to look at it. This government’s intention is to work with the intermediary. The rules are not about making it difficult for anybody or targeting any company. We don’t want to get into that sort of tired narrative that we are fixing people. We are not fixing anybody. We have a clearly defined view on how to make the Internet safe and trusted and are coaxing people to come along with us. And it is win-win. A safe and trusted Internet means they also get to grow and get more investments. This is really what should be a collective mission for all the stakeholders of the Internet which is to make the Internet safe, trusted while keeping its attributes of openness alive, and establishing the principle of accountability between the intermediaries and the consumers.

Our approach towards jurisprudence and laws in evolving. We would like this to be a partnership between the government and the intermediaries. If it needs a further modification of the rules, we will not hesitate to do it. We did not mandate the GAC in May 2021. In good faith, we thought that intermediaries by appointing a grievance redressal officer would automatically understand that the officer is supposed to resolve grievances and not have some tokenism there… we are in some sense forced to have a GAC. We have lakhs of messages from citizens and digital nagriks whose grievances were not responded to apart from either by just saying we have received your grievance, thank you for sending your grievance or no response at all. And that is not acceptable for us. Only as a last resort, will we resort to incorporating penalties.

Read full story on The Hindu
Share this story on:-
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running GamePlay Run 3, the ultimate space tunnel running game with 300+ challenging levels!Adv.
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing GameTraffic Jam 3D is a game where you’ll be driving through heavy traffic.Adv.
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic GamePlay the classic 1984 light gun shooter game Duck Hunt on your browser.Adv.
More Related News
Pumpset makers seek cut in GST on agri-pumps

Manufacturers demand GST reduction on agricultural pumpsets to 12% from 18% for cost advantage and market revival.

One-time gain propels RIL’s Q1 net to ₹30,783 cr., up 76.5%

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) reports strong Q1 results with 76.5% net profit growth, driven by Jio, retail, and O2C businesses.

SEBI may impose additional margin requirements in times of high volatility in electricity futures

SEBI to impose higher margins for electricity futures during volatility, aimed at reducing speculative activity in new market.

India needs to be careful, clever while negotiating trade pact with US: Raghuram Rajan

Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan advises India to negotiate US trade agreements carefully, especially in agriculture, amid global uncertainties.

Income Tax Department enables online utility for ITR-2 filing

File ITR-2 online for taxable capital gains income in FY 2024-25 with pre-filled data, deadline extended to September 15.

Rupee gives up gains, settles 4 paise lower at 86.16 against U.S. dollar

Rupee weakens against dollar due to fund outflows, oil prices, and equity market decline, but greenback weakness limits depreciation.

EU imposes sanctions on Rosneft's India refinery, lowers oil price cap

EU sanctions on Russia include new banking restrictions and lower oil price cap, impacting Russian crude oil exports to India.

A year after cyberattack, WazirX investors are waiting for legal woes to end 

A year ago, the WazirX cryptocurrency exchange was hacked; users are still waiting to access their locked up crypto.

Markets decline in early trade dragged by foreign fund outflows, selling in Axis Bank

Banking stocks cautious after Axis Bank's disappointing financial results, Sensex and Nifty drop, FIIs sell equities, global markets mixed.

Reliance Retail acquires Kelvinator

Reliance Retail Ventures acquires iconic Kelvinator brand to democratize aspirational living in India's premium home appliances market.

U.S. House sends bill regulating stablecoins to Trump

The stablecoin bill, passed on a 308-122 vote, sets initial guardrails and consumer protections for the cryptocurrency.

Amazon's AWS cloud computing unit cuts at least hundreds of jobs, sources say

Amazon cut at least hundreds of jobs in its Amazon Web Services cloud computing unit on Thursday, two sources said.

Rupee rises 6 paise to 86.06 against U.S. dollar in early trade

Rupee strengthens against US dollar on weaker greenback and lower crude oil prices, despite foreign fund outflows.

Parking Slot | Free Parking GamePlay Parking Slot, the best online 3D car driving and parking game.Adv.
Slope Ball Run - Play OnlineSlope Game takes you on an exciting journey of a ball on special paths.Adv.
Dr. Reddy’s Q1 net inches up amid decline in generics sales to U.S. 

Dr. Reddy’s Labs Q1 net profit rises slightly despite U.S. market decline, focus on strengthening base business.

Rupee falls for sixth straight session, ends 3 paise lower against U.S. dollar

Rupee weakens against dollar due to strong American currency, outflow of foreign funds, but cushioned by lower oil prices.

Infosys Q1 profit up 8.6% to ₹6,921 crore; revenue rises 7.5% to ₹42,279 crore

Infosys reports 8.7% profit increase, raises revenue guidance for FY26, showcasing strength in AI capabilities and client relationships.

Sensex jumps nearly 540 points on buying in bluechip banks, oil shares

Benchmark Sensex and Nifty surged on banking and oil shares, positive Asian markets, and U.S.-Japan trade deal optimism.

Amazon shuts down Shanghai AI research lab: Report

Amazon Web Services (AWS) set up its Shanghai Lab in 2018.

U.S. trade deals with Japan, Indonesia hold lessons, warnings for India: experts

Implications of U.S. trade deals with Japan and Indonesia on potential India deal discussed by officials and experts.

Rupee falls 2 paise to 86.40 against U.S. dollar in early trade

Rupee weakens to 86.40 against dollar as domestic equity markets remain positive despite US trade deal with Japan.

Amazon to buy startup focused on AI wearables

Amazon has reached a deal to buy San Francisco-based Bee, a startup making an artificial intelligence-enabled bracelet to listen in on and transcribe conversations.

With surging demand, India emerges as Malaysia's largest importer of germinating oil palm seeds

India leads in importing Malaysian oil palm seeds to boost domestic palm oil production, reducing import dependency.

Markets bounce back after falling in early trade driven by buying in ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank

Equity markets open lower but rebound as blue-chip stocks ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank drive recovery.

India’s electronics exports jump 47% in Q1; U.S., UAE, China top destinations

India's electronic exports see significant growth, with the U.S., Netherlands, and Germany as key destinations.

Appellate Tribunal upholds ED’s attachment of Chanda Kochhar’s assets

Appellate Tribunal finds prima facie case of money laundering against Chanda Kochhar, partially confirms asset attachment order.

© 2008 - 2025 Webjosh  |  News Archive  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us