India’s upcoming content policing rules might only apply to ‘major’ social platforms
India‘s upcoming intermediary rules — aimed at controlling and monitoring online content — have a lot of big and small tech firms worried about censorship of their platforms. But a new report suggests the legislation will only affect major social media networks, such as Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.
According to a report by Economic Times, an unnamed government official told the publication that the content takedown rules will only apply to major firms. However, the report doesn’t specify what’s the definition of a ‘major firm,’ in the context of the upcoming rules.
India's plan to mandate the monitoring, interception and tracing of messages on social media has alarmed users and privacy activists - as well as the companies running the platforms. Prasanto K Roy looks at the potential impact of such a move.
The country's information technology ministry will publish, by January 2020, a new set of rules for intermediaries: platforms that allow people to send, or share, messages. It is a sweeping term, which also includes e-commerce and many other types of apps and websites.
The move is in response to an explosion of fake news that has caused mob violence and led to more than 40 deaths in 2017 and 2018. Most frequent were rumours about child kidnappers, circulated on WhatsApp and other platforms. Those messages, with no basis in fact, caused mobs to lynch innocent passers-by.
Such "forwards" spread to tens of thousands of users in hours, and became nearly impossible to counter once they had spread.
According to a report by Economic Times, an unnamed government official told the publication that the content takedown rules will only apply to major firms. However, the report doesn’t specify what’s the definition of a ‘major firm,’ in the context of the upcoming rules.
India's plan to mandate the monitoring, interception and tracing of messages on social media has alarmed users and privacy activists - as well as the companies running the platforms. Prasanto K Roy looks at the potential impact of such a move.
The country's information technology ministry will publish, by January 2020, a new set of rules for intermediaries: platforms that allow people to send, or share, messages. It is a sweeping term, which also includes e-commerce and many other types of apps and websites.
The move is in response to an explosion of fake news that has caused mob violence and led to more than 40 deaths in 2017 and 2018. Most frequent were rumours about child kidnappers, circulated on WhatsApp and other platforms. Those messages, with no basis in fact, caused mobs to lynch innocent passers-by.
Such "forwards" spread to tens of thousands of users in hours, and became nearly impossible to counter once they had spread.
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