Propaganda is an art which is not easy to perfect. The first type of propaganda is in which your opponents know that you are spreading propaganda and they oppose it by any means available to them. The second type of propaganda is that in which your opponents don’t realise that the propaganda is being spread and cannot address it as they are unaware of it.
The third and most effective type of propaganda is when your opponents spread your narrative, misinterpreting it for their own. But the central government is now going to end all types of propaganda being disseminated by the western powers on their social media platforms through its new regulation.
The Modi government is all up to throttle fake news peddlers
The regulation, which is effective immediately, will further tighten the central government’s control over the major social media platforms that have operated freely in India since their founding.
The Centre is moving forward with a proposal that has alarmed internet behemoths on Friday by announcing changes to its information technology (IT) rules, giving itself the authority to override decisions made by top social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, as well as other internet firms to suspend, block, or remove users’ accounts due to various violations.
The controversial Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which were introduced as draft amendments last year, prompted the government to begin with the development of the new regulations over five months ago.
The move advocates the establishment of a grievance tribunal and grants the government overriding powers. It is viewed as a major blow to the social media giants in India as they have come under regulatory scrutiny for their decisions and content moderation policies.
The IT Rules (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code), 2021 for social media apps, online news portals, news aggregators, and OTT platforms were announced by the Center government in February 2021. But even with the IT Rules, 2021, which established a redressal system, many user complaints remained unanswered, leading the government to intervene and suggest an appellate jurisdiction framework.
Also read: Fake News Alert: Indian Express claims “caste based reservation” in Agnipath scheme
The government will formulate committees for complaints
According to the new regulations, three-member Grievance Appellate Committees must be established within three months, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) stated in a gazette statement.
The notification stated that, “The Central government shall, by notification, establish one or more grievance appellate committees within three months from the date of commencement of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2022.”
According to the new regulations, if a person’s social media account is subject to company action and they do not receive a satisfactory resolution from the firm’s grievance officer, they have 30 days to submit an appeal with the GAC. The new regulations provide that the GAC will handle the appeals “expeditiously and endeavour to resolve them within 30 calendar days.”
The new guidelines also specify that the GAC may ask for assistance from anybody who possesses the necessary credentials, experience, and subject-matter competence when handling the appeal.
Also read: Founders of fake news website “Alt News” nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Social media giants have to remove content on the government’s demand, addressing users’ complaints
Additionally, the Centre now has the authority to order social media sites to remove or regulate particular controversial information in response to user complaints.
According to the new regulations, if someone disagrees with the judgments made by social media platforms regarding the hosting of controversial information, they may now appeal to the government’s appellate panels.
Along with pornography, trademark infringements, false information, and anything that would pose a threat to national sovereignty, the government has included offensive religious content (intended to encourage violence) in the new guidelines that users can report to social media sites.
The revisions mandate that social media networks respond to user complaints within 15 days of receiving them, acknowledge them within 24 hours, and remove specified objectionable content within 72 hours of reporting.
The content that could be the subject of complaints “objectionable” material that fosters “enmity between different groups on the basis of religion or caste with the intent to incite violence,” as well as nudity, trademark and patent infringements, false information, impersonation of others, and content that threatens the nation’s unity and integrity. The time is tough ahead for fake news peddlers and the ones who create nuisance on social media in India.
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