Social media to abide by poll code

A day after being called out by the Election Commission to rein in fake and vitriolic messaging from vitiating the ongoing poll process, social media platforms and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on Wednesday presented a 'Voluntary Code of Ethics for the General Election 2019' to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and his two colleagues, election commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra.

The code of ethics has been developed by IAMAI and representatives of Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Google, ShareChat, TikTok etc. "The code shall apply within the existing legal framework in India. In case of any conflict between the voluntary framework and the existing legal framework, the legal framework will prevail," said the code's preamble.

The 'Code of Ethics' has been developed to ensure free, fair and ethical usage of social media platforms to maintain the integrity of the electoral process for the Lok Sabha elections. I comes into effect from immediate effect.

CODE OF CONDUCT

‘Code of Ethics’ has been developed to ensure free, fair and ethical usage of social media platforms to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.