Devanjana Mukherjee, Khabri Media
Enabling citizens to file FIRs against social media firms marks a significant shift in the power dynamics between individuals and tech giants.
Pic: Social Media
In an era dominated by digital interactions, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. However, with the increasing influence of these platforms, concerns regarding misinformation, cyberbullying, and privacy breaches have also risen. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
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To address these issues, the government has taken a bold step by enabling citizens to file First Information Reports (FIRs) against social media firms for violating Information Technology (IT) rules. This move aims to empower individuals and hold social media giants accountable for their actions.
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, introduced by the government, outline guidelines for social media platforms to ensure responsible and ethical usage. These rules seek to create a safer online environment by addressing concerns related to fake news, online harassment, and the spread of offensive content.
Pic: Social Media
Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) will develop a platform on which users can notify about IT rule violation by social media platforms.
IT Minister Chandrashekhar told the media, “Meity will assist users to very easily notify it about violation of IT rules and assist them in filing FIRs. Furthermore, from today onwards there is zero tolerance for violation of IT rules.”
The FIR will be registered against the intermediary and if they disclose the details from where the content has originated then the FIR will be filed against the entity that has posted the content. Moreover, he said that social media platforms have been given seven days time to align their terms of use, as per the IT rules.
