Social-Media
Stricter rules for social media giants are set by India
India has announced new regulations for the country's social networks and other web services, especially "major social media companies" with large user bases, such as Facebook and Twitter.
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) announced the rules earlier today. They require the establishment of a "grievance redress mechanism" by social media companies for users, including official "grievance officers" who accept complaints within 24 hours and resolve them within 15 days. Within 24 hours of a user flagging it, services must also delete nudity and sexually explicit content.
"Significant intermediaries of social media" face additional duties. These companies must appoint officials based in India who work with law enforcement agencies and publish a monthly report on their moderation operations.
Guidelines for Social Media Platforms
— PIB India (@PIB_India) February 25, 2021
A Grievance redressal mechanism should be developed and there should be a Grievance Redressal Officer
Should be registered within 24 hours and disposed in 15 days: Union Minister @rsprasad#ResponsibleFreedom #OTTGuideline pic.twitter.com/8A0DQycQqe
"Significant" messaging-focused services must also be prepared to identify a message's "first originator," a regulation likely aimed at the highly popular WhatsApp service on Facebook. WhatsApp has previously been asked by Indian regulators to identify the sources of anonymous rumors that sparked violence, but WhatsApp has argued that this would compromise its end-to-end encryption.
The framework also indicates that MEITY can regulate digital media services, including video streaming platforms, and require digital news services to comply with traditional media outlets' official "norms of journalistic conduct."
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Ravi Shankar Prasad, head of MEITY, said the rules were intended to make social media companies "more responsible and more responsible" for their platform content. American social media companies have struggled to navigate issues in India with violence, hate speech, and political conflict. Local policy chief Ankhi Das of Facebook resigned last year under pressure from activists and clashed with Twitter earlier this month.
Last year, under pressure from activists, local policy chief Ankhi Das resigned from Facebook, and earlier this month, Twitter clashed with MEITY over an order to block activists who criticized India's government.
Over the past year, India has tightened its overall regulation of foreign web businesses. It banned TikTok and other Chinese social apps in June 2020, citing a "national sovereignty" threat. Last month, TikTok reduced its personnel in India, a move characterized as "essentially withdrawing" from the nation.
