Need to bring balance and consensus to make social media more accountable: Govt in Rajya Sabha

Social media needs to be made more accountable and stricter rules in this regard could be brought in if there is political consensus on the matter Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Rajya Sabha on FridayReplying to a series of supplementaries in this regard he said whenever the government has taken any step to make social media accountable the opposition has accused it of curbing the freedom of speechBut it is not so he said during Question HourResponding to a querry from BJPs Sushil Kumar Modi on what action has been initiated against websites like BulliBai that targeted Muslim women he said the government acted immediately when violation was brought to its noticeWe have to bring about a balance and consensus to make social media accountable to ensure the safety and security of our women and our future generations the minister saidFor this he said social media rules have to be strengthened and if the opposition accuses the government of curbing freedom of speech then it is wrongWe have to move together towards the new directionAsked by Congress MP Anand Sharma on whether any verification process to effectively check the functioning of social media is done the minister said there have been stricter social media accountabilityIf the house has consensus we are willing to provide even more stricter social media rules I personally believe that for the protection of our citizens we must make the rules stricter he saidI agree with you that we have to come forward as a society and create much more accountability of the social media the minister also saidHe said at this point of time the government is working within the constitutional framework and the role of both states and the Centre has to be seen in perspectiveThe law enforcement agencies of the state governments are taking action based on the information which goes from certain agencies or my team he saidThere is a framework created for any cyber crime that happens all over the country and it can be reported over a central portal and it goes to the relevant law enforcement agency he addedOn action against websites like BulliBai Vaishnaw said This is a very sensitive matter Protecting the dignity of women is a fundamental construct of our government and there cannot be any compromise on it This is our commitment and there is no talk of any religion or region in itHe said the government has initiated immediate action on this matter adding action has not been merely on the surface but the IT ministry has gone deeper by going to the root causeVaishnaw said social media is all prevalent and has a lot of importance in our lives today and the government has brought comprehensive intermediary rules and guidelines for social media in 2021 on how to make social media safe and accountable to avoid its misuseUnder it there were five institutional frameworks and all social media intermediaries were obliged to publish their monthly compliance report online he saidThe minister in his written reply said Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook qualify as Intermediaries as per the Information Technology IT Act 2000 The Government is committed to ensure that the Internet in India is open safe amp trusted and accountable for all usersIn line with the above objectives the government has notified the Information Technology Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Codes Rules 2021 on 25th February 2021 to ensure that the internet is safe and trustedThe rules also provide for additional due diligence to be followed by Significant Social Media Intermediaries he saidIn case of noncompliance rule 7 of these Rules becomes applicable and the intermediaries are liable to lose their exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act 2000 Vaishnaw saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever