Social media platforms should shun double customary regarding India: Ravi Shankar Prasad | Exclusive

Image Source : VIDEO GRAB, INDIA TV Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad speaks on new social media pointers in Aaj Ki Baat.
Union Minister for Law, Electronics and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday spoke on the federal government’s stringent pointers for social media, OTT platforms and digital media in Aaj Ki Baat with Rajat Sharma, Editor-In-Chief and Chairman, India TV. The Union Minister cleared confusion over the brand new pointers and what firms must do to abide by the brand new pointers. 

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in Aaj Ki Baat | Top factors  

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stated that firms must launch a grievance redressal mechanism. Through this method, complaints must be registered and sorted out.
Social media giants must appoint grievance officers to hearken to the complaints.
Emphasizing that want for the brand new pointers, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stated that there are some individuals who promote terrorism… so shall the federal government hold quiet?
Union Minister appealed to all social media platforms saying that India is a giant market, they’ve expanded their enterprise within the nation, folks have linked with them… it is a good factor, however they must abide by the Indian legal guidelines.
Responding to criticism on social media that the federal government needs to impose new pointers to silence its critics, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stated that …Prime Minister Narendra Modi is neither afraid of nor runs away from any criticism.
The Union Minister additionally stated that social media firms must voluntarily arrange the verification mechanism of their customers.
Speaking on how social media giants differentiate between nations, Ravi Shankar Prasad stated {that a} social media firm helps the federal government’s motion towards perpetrators of violence on the Capitol Hill in Washington, which is an efficient factor… however help those that attempt to create violence at Red Fort in New Delhi, it will not work like this.
Addressing the problem of privateness of a consumer and whether or not new pointers will have an effect on it, Ravi Shankar Prasad talked about a few 9-bench Supreme Court order by which it stated that privateness is part of basic proper however added that the highest court docket additionally stated it is the accountability of the federal government to behave towards those that bask in terrorism and corruption.
The authorities is not going to ask a social media firm concerning the content material of a consumer… the federal government would solely wish to know the ‘first originator’ of content material and solely in these situations if it threatens safety, public order within the nation.
Salient options of latest guidelines for social media, OTT and digital media platforms

Social media norms

Intermediaries must take away content material containing nudity, sexual act or impersonation together with morphed pictures, inside 24 hours of receipt of complaints.
Intermediaries must appoint a grievance officer to take care of complaints, and this official has to acknowledge the criticism inside 24 hours and resolve it inside 15 days of receiving the criticism.
An middleman, after receiving court docket or authorities order, mustn’t host or publish any info that’s prohibited in relation to the curiosity of the sovereignty of India and public order.
Two classes of social media intermediaries have been categorised on the idea of consumer quantity – social media intermediaries and important social media intermediaries.
User threshold for figuring out important social media intermediaries to be introduced quickly.
Additional due diligence mandated for important social media intermediaries.
Significant social media intermediaries must appoint a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact particular person and a resident grievance officer.
All three officers must reside in India.
Significant social media intermediaries to publish a month-to-month compliance report on complaints acquired, motion taken, and content material eliminated proactively.
Significant social media middleman might want to have a bodily contact deal with in India printed on its web site or cellular app or each.
Messaging platforms requested to allow identification of the “first originator” of the knowledge that undermines sovereignty of India, safety of the state, or public order. Intermediary is not going to be required to reveal content material of message.
Users who wish to get their accounts verified voluntarily needs to be supplied mechanism to take action.
In case a social media platform removes content material by itself, it must present prior intimation for a similar to the consumer and clarify causes for such motion. Users to be given a chance to dispute the motion taken by the middleman.
The guidelines will are available impact from the date of their publication within the gazette, apart from the extra due diligence for important social media intermediaries that may are available impact 3 months after publication of the foundations.
In case due diligence shouldn’t be adopted by an middleman, secure harbour provisions is not going to apply to them.
OTT and Digital Media norms

Code of Ethics prescribed for OTT platforms, on-line information and digital media entities.
OTT platforms to self-classify content material into 5 age-based categories- U (Universal), U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A (Adult).
Platforms must implement parental locks for content material categorised as U/A 13+ or greater, and deploy dependable age verification mechanisms for content material categorised as A.
The writer of on-line curated content material must prominently show the classification score particular to every programme collectively together with a content material descriptor. This will allow customers to make knowledgeable determination earlier than watching the programme.
Publishers of stories on digital media can be required to look at Norms of Journalistic Conduct of the Press Council of India, and the Programme Code below the Cable TV Networks Regulation Act to make sure a level-playing discipline between offline and digital media.
A 3-level grievance redressal mechanism has been established with completely different ranges of self-regulation below the foundations. These are self-regulation by the publishers; self-regulation by the self-regulating our bodies of the publishers; and oversight mechanism.
The writer shall appoint a grievance redressal officer based mostly in India, who must take determination on complaints inside 15 days.
There could also be a number of self-regulatory our bodies of publishers. Such a physique must be headed by a retired choose of the Supreme Court, a High Court or unbiased eminent particular person and have no more than six members.
This physique, which must register with the I&B Ministry, will oversee that the writer adheres to the Code of Ethics and addresses these grievances not resolved throughout the stipulated timeframe.
I&B Ministry will formulate an oversight mechanism and publish a constitution for self-regulating our bodies, together with Codes of Practices.
An inter-departmental committee shall be established for listening to grievances.
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