IT Rules 2021 Announced To Regulate Digital News, Social Media And OTT Platforms

Center Announces IT Rules 2021 today.

The Union Government on Thursday released a set of new rules to regulate the content on various digital platforms and to establish a Code of Ethics and a three-tier grievance redressal framework for news websites and OTT platforms. In an address to the media IT Minister Ravishankar Prasad said that concerns have been raised about rampant abuse of social media platforms and added that these rules will empower the users of social media.

The Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 for the first time ever will prescribe how digital news organizations, social media platforms and OTT streaming services will be regulated by the government. The rules draw a strict oversight mechanism involving several ministries and a code of ethics that prohibits content that would affect the ‘sovereignty and integrity of India’ and also all those factors that prove as a threat to national security.

In the press briefing the IT minister said the social media faints operating in India will have to appoint compliance officers who are based in India. In case of removal of any content from the digital platforms the users need to be informed about why such action was taken and also hear them out. On prominent social media sites the rules make the traceability of the originator of the messages easier, which goes against the end-to-end encryption on messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal. Mr Prasad while explaining this rule said “Who began the mischief? You have to say.”

The oversight mechanism will include a committee with representatives from various ministries of Defence, External Affairs, Home Affairs, I&B, Law, IT and Women and Child Development. The committee will be granted with ‘suo motu powers’ to call hearings on complaints if it finds a violation of code of ethics when it wants. The committee can send a warning, censor, admonish or reprimand violators and might also seek an apology besides other actions.

The major takeaways from the newly drafted TI Rules includes; content which involves nudity and morphed pictures of women have to be removed within 24 hours. Secondly, the official at the grievance redressal office must be a resident of India and social media platforms must file reports of monthly compliance. Thirdly, on being asked at the court the social media platforms will be required to disclose the first originator of the mischievous information. Fourthly, voluntary verification of the user must be available as a provision to the social media platforms and lastly the grievance officers must be appointed by the social media intermediaries who shall register a complaint within 24 hours.