New Delhi: Days after a spat with Twitter, and police cases against actors and producers of web series Taandav and Mirzapur, the government on Thursday announced new stringent rules for social media and streaming companies, requiring them to take down contentious content quicker, appoint grievance redressal officers and assist investigations.
The ‘Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code’, which IT and Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said are designed to curb misuse of social media platforms, requires WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other social media firms as well as streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime Video to appoint executives to coordinate with law enforcement, disclose the first originator of “mischievous” information, and remove, within 24 hours, content depicting nudity or morphed pictures of women.
Any contentious content flagged by the government or legal order has to be taken down quickly.
The guidelines require social media intermediaries to appoint a resident grievance officer who shall register complaints in 24 hours, and file monthly compliance reports. User grievances have to be resolved within 15 days.
Also, social media platforms on being asked by court or government will be required to disclose the first originator of any “mischievous” information that undermines the sovereignty of India, security of the state, or public order.
The intermediary, however, will not be required to disclose the contents of any message.
Beyond streaming and messaging, the code will also set guidelines for digital publishers of news and current affairs content, requiring them to disclose their ownership and other information.
Releasing the guidelines, Prasad said the code was needed to make social media and OTT companies accountable for “misuse and abuse”.
Social media firms should be “more responsible and accountable,” he said.
The new rules take effect immediately, though significant social-media providers (based on number of users) will get three months before they need to start complying.
India has 53 crore WhatsApp users, 44.8 crore YouTube users, 41 crore Facebook users, 21 crore Instagram users, and 1.75 crore are on Twitter.
Users will have to be provided with prior intimation and explanation when a significant social media intermediary removes content on its own. In such cases, users have to be provided an adequate and reasonable opportunity to dispute the action taken.
Rules related to social media will be administered by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, while those related to Code of Ethics and procedure and safeguards in relation to digital media will be administered by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
On rules related to over-the-top (OTT) and digital media, the government said guidelines have been framed keeping in mind the difference between viewership in a theatre and television, as compared to watching it on the internet.
A Code of Ethics and three-tier grievance redressal mechanism would be applicable for news publishers, OTT platforms and digital media.
OTT platforms would have to self-classify the content into five age-based categories – U (Universal), U/A 7+ (years), U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A (Adult).
Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar said such platforms would be required to implement parental locks for content classified as U/A 13+ or higher, and reliable age-verification mechanisms for content classified as ‘A’.
Publishers of news on digital media would be required to observe Norms of Journalistic Conduct of the Press Council of India and the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, providing a level-playing field between the offline (print, TV) and digital media, an official statement said.
“Digital media portals have no right to spread rumour. The media’s freedom is absolute but with reasonable restrictions. Content matter, especially media, OTT and digital media will be administered by I&B ministry. Intermediary platforms monitoring will be done by the IT ministry in the manner they have been doing it,” he said.
PTI

Press Trust of India