Deadline over, no immediate blackout of social media cos
Strap: Govt had told Twitter, FB to comply with new rules by May 25
Box
What new rules suggest
Social media firms need to appoint three types of officials:
Chief Compliance Officer: Will ensure new rules are followed
Nodal Officer: Will be in touch with law enforcing agencies 24×7 to remove or block any illegal or inflammatory content
Resident Grievance Officer: Will acknowledge grievances within 24 hours and respond to complainant in 15 days
Companies need to identify first originator of a contentious message
Three-official panel to be liable if any illegal content is shared over their platforms
How many users in India*
Company Users
WhatsApp 53 cr
YouTube 44.8 cr
Facebook 41 cr
Instagram 21 cr
Twitter 1.75 cr
(*Figures till February 2021)
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 25
Even as the deadline for social media platforms to comply with the new government regulations ended on Tuesday midnight, there is little chance of Twitter, Facebook and other companies facing an immediate blackout in India.
Facebook today said it was working to implement operational processes and aimed to comply with the provisions of the IT rules that came into effect from May 26.
The deadline ended in the backdrop of a scheduled meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to New York and Washington, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Most of the social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook (also owns WhatsApp and Instagram) and YouTube (parent company Google) are owned by US-based entities.
The social media platforms were required to abide by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, notified on February 25. The rules suggest that significant social media companies (with more than 50 lakh users) like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and YouTube will have to comply with the ethics code.
The government wants to have “additional due diligence” to appoint a chief compliance officer for ensuring that the new rules are adhered to. It also wants a nodal contact person who will coordinate round-the-clock with law enforcement agencies weeding out any inflammatory content and a resident grievance officer to acknowledge grievances of users within 24 hours and respond to them within 15 days.
The rules also bind the social media companies to enable identification of the first originator of a message shared on their platforms. The government wants the companies to have automated tools, which may be driven by artificial intelligence, to remove objectionable and fake content.
Till now, social media companies were not liable for content posted on their platforms. Once the rules kick in, the company and the three-member panel appointed by it can be held criminally liable if any objectionable content is shared over their platforms.
The social media platforms had sought an extension of the deadline. Industry bodies, including the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), had also backed the demand for extension. The government, however, stuck to its February announcement.
Indian social media company Koo, meanwhile, has complied with the new norms.
