Govt gives OTT, digital media players 15 days to furnish details on compliance with new rules
Govt gives OTT, digital media players 15 days to furnish details on compliance with new rules
New Delhi , May 28, 2021 :
The Centre has written to the OTT and digital media platforms to furnish all their details and compliance status as per the new IT rules within 15 days.
In its notice to the platforms, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting said that a total of around 60 publishers and their associations have informed the ministry that they have already initiated the process of formation of self-regulatory bodies under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Codes) Rules, 2021.
“ There is no requirement for prior registration of digital media publishers with the ministry,” it said, adding that one of the new rules provides for furnishing certain information by the publishers of news and current affairs content, and publishers of online curated content, to the ministry.
Apart from the details on the websites, mobile apps and social media accounts, the ministry has also sought information on the grievance redressal mechanism.
“ The publishers may furnish the information to the ministry in the applicable format within 15 days of the issuance of this notice,” it said.
The Centre came up with the new rules in February this year, creating a new framework for governing intermediary liability and digital media regulation.
As per the norms, digital news publishers will now have to notify the government of their operations, set up self-regulatory bodies and apply a complaint redressal mechanism, besides following the codes which were only applicable to print and television news thus far. IANS
Twitter trying to dictate terms, undermine India’s legal system : IT Ministry
The Centre on Thursday hit back hard at Twitter’s latest statement raising concerns over the ‘potential threat’ to freedom of speech, saying that the US-based microblogging platform is trying to dictate its terms in India, and also wants to undermine the country’s legal system.
Maintaining that India has a glorious tradition of free speech and democratic practices dating back centuries, the Ministry of Electronics and IT said in a statement that protecting free speech in India is not the prerogative of a private, for-profit and foreign entity like Twitter, but it is the commitment of the world’s largest democracy.
“ Twitter’s statement is an attempt to dictate its terms to the world’s largest democracy. Through its actions and deliberate defiance, Twitter seeks to undermine India’s legal system,” the ministry statement said.
The ministry also said that Twitter refuses to comply with those very regulations in the intermediary guidelines on the basis of which it is claiming a safe harbour protection from any criminal liability in India.
Referring to the statement, wherein Twitter stressed on the need of a collaborative approach and a collective responsibility of elected officials, industry and civil society to safeguard the interests of the public, the IT Ministry said: “It is time Twitter disabuses itself of this grandiosity and comply with the laws of India.”
It further assured that representatives of social media companies, including Twitter, “are and will always remain safe in India and there is no threat to their personal safety and security”.
