Big Tech’s Excess

Context: While Social Media has brought the world closer by democratising debates and enabling the exchange of ideas across borders, its misuse is the sole reason why it should be regulated.

Misuse of social media platform

• Works behind the thick wall of opacity: With arbitrary policies acting not only as platforms for idea exchange but also censors.
  • Their algorithms can be manipulated to play up a certain kind of content and play down other forms of it.
• Responsible for rise in crimes: A seamless social media world has also caused an exponential rise in hate crimes, fake news, propaganda and brazenly libellous content.
• No idea of accountability: Objectionable photos are often shared on such platforms, or the reputation of people sullied without even an iota of evidence against them.

Significance of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021:

• Transparency: The comments and the counter-comments received against the draft rules were duly published on the MEITY website to ensure transparency.
• Push for grievance redressal: The new IT rules make it mandatory for these companies to establish an effective grievance redressal mechanism receiving and resolving complaints from the users or victims
• Ensures online safety: The law requires social media companies to remove or disable access to content that exposes the private parts of individuals, contains full or partial nudity or a sexual act or is in the nature of impersonation, including morphed images within 24 hours of receipt of complaints.
• Classifies intermediaries: In two categories: Social media intermediaries (SMI) and significant social media intermediaries (SSMI).
  • The latter comprises companies with more than 50 lakh registered users. So Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et al. come under SSMI.
  • The IT Rules direct the SSMIs to appoint a Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Contact Person and a Resident Grievance Officer (all Indian residents) to ensure compliance with statutory provisions and act as a point for 24x7 coordination with law enforcement agencies.
• Enables identification of the first originator: Required for prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of an offence related to sovereignty and integrity of India.
  • The information is also to be made available if there is a threat to public order or concerns an offence such as rape, sexually explicit material or child sexual abuse.

Conclusion: The Indian government is the custodian of the freedoms and rights guaranteed to the citizens of the country, who can hold the government to account if that doesn’t happen.