How new rules will change life on social media

What is the News?

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MEITY) has released a fresh draft of the amendment to the Information Technology(IT) Rules 2021.

What are the new amendments to the IT Rules,2021?

The rules required additional compliance measures for Significant Social Media Intermediaries (SSMIs), which is any social media platform with more than five million users in India. SSMIs need to adhere to these rules in order to be eligible for safe harbour protections mentioned in Section 79 of India’s IT Act.

Note: Safe harbour protections are very important for platforms that deal with user-generated content. These protections ensure that the platform cannot be sued for a post, message etc shared by a user using its services.

Are these rules mandatory for Social Media Intermediaries?

Experts have said that non-compliance will not lead to a ban. Even if the platforms don’t comply with these rules, the platforms can continue operations in India, but they can’t seek safe harbour protections in the case of a suit.

What are the benefits of new amendments?

The amendments will supersede decisions made by platforms. Hence, the platforms may be able to escape controversy if a contentious post is referred to the new authority and the decision taken out of their hands.

What are the challenges associated with the new amendments?

a) The rules can be misused by government agencies to suppress dissent or take other undemocratic steps, b) The rules will dilute the platforms’ own control over its services. This might affect user experience.

Source: The post is based on the article “How new rules will change life on social media” published in Live mint on 8th June 2022.