Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to be blocked in India tomorrow?  what will happen with new IT rules after deadline ?

        It's been reported that some social media platforms have asked for a six-month deadline, saying they were awaiting instructions from their US headquarters. The rules, or the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules), aim to make social media companies more accountable. The rules include the appointment of the supervisory mechanism will include a committee with representatives from Defense, Foreign Affairs, Home, I&B, Law, Information Technology and Development of Women and Children.

        Information Technology (Guidelines for intermediaries and digital media ethics code) Rules, 2021 were notified by the ministry on February 25 for social media intermediaries such as Twitter and Facebook, and over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon.

What are the new guidelines for them?

One of these new guidelines included appointing compliance officers, a resident grievance officer, a chief compliance officer and a nodal contact person who would overlook the complaints regarding the content on these platforms, monitor and even remove the content, should it deem objectionable. 

The rules also make it compulsory for platforms to be able to trace the originator of messages, along with a provision for voluntary verification as a means to establish user identity.

Facebook has issued an official statement surrounding the compliance of the new guidelines claiming that they aim to comply with the new rules however, they need to iron out a few details for which they need more engagement with the government.