With the entry into force of the new standards, Indian users may not have access to various social media and OTT (Over-the-top) platforms at some time from tomorrow. Earlier this year, the Indian government announced new regulatory guidelines to manage various digital platforms. Therefore, it gives these social media companies three months to comply, otherwise, they will face consequences.
The law requires social media platforms to appoint compliance officers from India. These employees will handle user/government complaints, monitor and remove inappropriate content. These rules will also apply to various OTT platforms, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar and others. The government pointed out that these companies usually do not have self-discipline rules and therefore need to establish a committee with sole authority to review content and take action on complaints.
Soon after the announcement of the new law, these multinational social media giants first requested an extension of implementation so that they could contact their headquarters to discuss countermeasures. However, the Indian government did not provide an additional buffer period and warned that if the guidelines are not followed, severe actions will be taken.
In addition, the new guidelines also allow the government to withdraw the protection brought by Article 79 of the Information Technology Law if the OTT platform does not comply with the rules. Article 79 protects social media companies and their employees from being deprived of non-compliance. Criminal action by the government or a third party.
According to a report by The Hindu, the platform company requires the government to provide a “safe harbor” in accordance with Article 79 of the Information Technology Act to facilitate business development.
They demanded that a clause in the new rules be reconsidered, which may lead to criminal liability for employees of platform companies who fail to comply with the regulations and allow these companies to exchange and waive the clause for the convenience of doing business.
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Earlier today, a Facebook spokesperson told Gadgets 360 that the company plans to comply with the new guidelines.
Our goal is to comply with the information technology rules and continue to discuss issues that require more contact with the government. In accordance with the information technology rules, we are working hard to implement operational procedures and improve efficiency. Facebook remains committed to the ability of people to express themselves freely and safely on our platform.
Twitter and Google declined to comment on the matter. According to the latest report, the Indian version of Twitter’s Koo is the only OTT company that has started to comply with the new guidelines. At present, it is unclear how the government plans to proceed after the deadline expires.
According to the guidelines, any company found to have violated the law will lose the privileges provided by the Information Technology Act, allowing the government to take criminal actions against the company or its employees. In addition, the guidelines allow the government to ban social media companies if they fail to comply with the rules.
The war between the Indian government and social media companies has been going on for some time. Earlier this year, the government forced Twitter to delete certain tweets on multiple occasions. Just yesterday, a team of the Delhi Police Special Team conducted a search of Twitter India’s offices in New Delhi and Gurugram. Although the police say this is part of a routine procedure, the global Twitter headquarters has been involved in this matter.
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