The ministry has requested all companies to submit a comprehensive "action-taken-cum-status" report within seven days.
In a decisive move against the rising tide of misinformation and the misuse of deepfake technology, the government issued a stern advisory on Tuesday to all major social media and internet intermediaries, including giants like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Google. The advisory demands strict adherence to the existing IT rules, particularly those concerning the propagation of prohibited content under Rule 3(1)(b).
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, announced, “A formal advisory was issued today, outlining 'agreed to' procedures to prevent users on these platforms from violating content restrictions. Legal consequences will ensue if such violations are observed or reported.”
Dated December 26, the advisory from the IT ministry criticized these platforms for their lax approach towards directives on prohibited content, notably regarding misinformation and deepfakes. The ministry will be closely monitoring the compliance of these advisories in the upcoming weeks, ready to make necessary amendments to the IT Rules or laws, as stated by Chandrasekhar.
The ministry has requested all companies to submit a comprehensive "action-taken-cum-status" report within seven days. This latest advisory is part of a series of notices sent to internet intermediaries, urging them to adhere to norms that prohibit the hosting, display, or sharing of certain content. This includes child sexual abuse material, pornographic content, and critically, the advertisement of illegal loan apps on their platforms.
The advisory further states, “Platforms should implement additional measures to prevent any advertisements of illegal loan and betting apps, which have the potential to scam and mislead users. The responsibility for the consequences of such ads will fall squarely on the intermediaries.” This move signals a significant step by the government in combating the spread of harmful content and deceptive advertising on social media platforms.
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