The government will not ease rules mandating faster content removal by social media platforms, prioritising the protection of citizens in the digital space, officials told ET.
However, they said the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has signaled that it remains open to further talks on the technical aspects of complying with the rules, alluding to the opposition the Centre's move has evoked.
Last month, amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) rules had necessitated quicker compliance in a series of cases, including unlawful content, deepfakes targeting women and children, and non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). Coming into effect within just ten days, on February 20, the new rules cut down the minimum time given to platforms for resolving user reported grievances to seven days from 15 earlier, while mandating that NCII be taken down within two hours, as opposed to 24 hours earlier. The move to reduce the compliance time has not been taken lightly, a MeitY official stressed. "There was broad consensus within the government that the earlier timelines were lengthy. Incidents of unlawful content going viral within hours of being posted may create a law and order issue," the official said. "Other forms of content that compromise the privacy or dignity of users should also be removed swiftly."
The notified rules are not expected to see any further amendments to ease the timelines for content removal, he stressed. Instead, the government will continue to engage with all social media intermediaries on the technicalities of compliance with takedown orders, he hinted. At a meeting with the ministry last week, some intermediaries had complained of operational feasibility in adhering to the shorter deadlines, especially for removing unlawful content within three hours, down from the earlier deadline of 36 hours, ministry officials said.
"But social media intermediaries possess proven capabilities to scrub content expeditiously, in this, and other jurisdictions. This was pointed out to them," another official said. "It is entirely possible for all entities to put in the necessary systems to comply with the rules."
However, they said the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has signaled that it remains open to further talks on the technical aspects of complying with the rules, alluding to the opposition the Centre's move has evoked.
Last month, amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) rules had necessitated quicker compliance in a series of cases, including unlawful content, deepfakes targeting women and children, and non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). Coming into effect within just ten days, on February 20, the new rules cut down the minimum time given to platforms for resolving user reported grievances to seven days from 15 earlier, while mandating that NCII be taken down within two hours, as opposed to 24 hours earlier. The move to reduce the compliance time has not been taken lightly, a MeitY official stressed. "There was broad consensus within the government that the earlier timelines were lengthy. Incidents of unlawful content going viral within hours of being posted may create a law and order issue," the official said. "Other forms of content that compromise the privacy or dignity of users should also be removed swiftly."
The notified rules are not expected to see any further amendments to ease the timelines for content removal, he stressed. Instead, the government will continue to engage with all social media intermediaries on the technicalities of compliance with takedown orders, he hinted. At a meeting with the ministry last week, some intermediaries had complained of operational feasibility in adhering to the shorter deadlines, especially for removing unlawful content within three hours, down from the earlier deadline of 36 hours, ministry officials said.
"But social media intermediaries possess proven capabilities to scrub content expeditiously, in this, and other jurisdictions. This was pointed out to them," another official said. "It is entirely possible for all entities to put in the necessary systems to comply with the rules."
