New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government has notified Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, thereby laying down rules about digital media and OTT. It also focuses more on in house and self-regulation mechanism whereby a robust grievance redressal mechanism has been provided while upholding journalistic and creative freedom.
Among several Guidelines Related to Social Media to Be Administered by Ministry of Electronics and IT, one of the salient features include Voluntary User Verification Mechanism.
What is Voluntary User Verification Mechanism?
Users who wish to verify their accounts voluntarily shall be provided an appropriate mechanism to verify their accounts and provided with demonstrable and visible mark of verification. The Voluntary User Verification Mechanism, for now, looks like just how you do KYC verification for various services. We shall be bringing more updates on it as and when proper guidelines on the same are being made.
How different is Voluntary User Verification Mechanism from the social media blue ticks?
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 has laid down guidelines for social media intermediaries to enable “voluntary verification” of user accounts. The method for this, as suggested in the guidelines, is that these verified users should be given demonstrable and visible mark of verification which is akin to biometric or physical identification which is publicly visible to all users.
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 provision on this verification system should not be confused with the blue ticks that a user gets on social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook or for that matter Instagram.Â
This voluntary verification would be different from the existing verified accounts category. The security check user account verification will be developed by the social media company.
