Govt lays down guidelines for social media channels and OTT platforms under new IT Rules

New Delhi: The government of India will bring the online news media publishers under the same gambit as the traditional media publishers, such as newspapers and news channels.

In a press conference, chaired by Ravi Shankar Prasad, Law & Justice, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Minister of India, and Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change; Information & Broadcasting; & Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises on Thursday the government announced the new Digital Media Ethics Code. 

The document mentions section 87 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 that offers the government powers to make such rules.

As per the guidelines under Information Technology (Guidelines for intermediaries and digital media ethics code) Rules, 2021, digital news media publishers will now need to follow rules that apply to print and electronic media.

The new rules will regulate social media content, the government will ask the platform to reveal the originator of a message (or tweet). The government has also proposed voluntary verification of users and a compliance officer as well as grievance officer. The government has also asked to appoint a 24×7 point of contact.

Digital media will cover digitised content that can be transmitted over the internet or computer networks. It includes intermediaries such as Twitter and Facebook, and publishers of news and current affairs content. This as defined in a document that lays out the government’s framework to regulate online content.

Last year, the information & broadcasting ministry had brought the online news media, which had remained unregulated, under its ambit. Though the rules were not formulated. Nor were the social media intermediaries that took refuge in their intermediary status when it came to taking responsibility for content, were clear.