Explainer: How the New IT Rules Take Away Our Digital Rights
Several proposals in their present form suffer from unconstitutionality and will undermine free expression and privacy for internet users in India.
Illustration: The Wire
Tech26/Feb/2021
Here we will provide you with information about everything that has happened and is happening with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. We provide you a quick rundown on its contentious history, the need for starting afresh on this vital conversation about platform accountability and also an analysis of the present draft of the rules. Given that it seeks to now even regulate digital news platforms and OTT content providers, we recommend a fresh consultation and greater transparency. Several proposals in their present form suffer from unconstitutionality and will undermine free expression and privacy for internet users in India.
Sanjay Kanojia/AFP
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (the “Intermediary Rules”) fundamentally change the way the internet will be experienced in India. We provide you with an overview of its contents, the “safeguards” it seeks to establish, how they affect your internet usage experience, and your fundamental rights. Most notably, the Rules now will bring government control rather than regulation over digital news platforms and OTT video content providers. Several requirements under them suffer from unconstitutionality and undermine the free expression and privacy for millions of internet users in India.
What are the Intermediary Rules?
India News: NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will no longer use WhatsApp groups to share video conference links for court hearings, the apex court registry said on Sa.
Published: Saturday, February 27, 2021, 20:58 [IST]
New Delhi, Feb 27: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Saturday clarified that the provision in the new digital media guidelines to block internet content in a case of emergency nature has been around as a rule since 2009 and was not recently introduced.
Certain misgivings are being raised regarding Rule 16 under Part III of the guidelines which mention that in a case of emergency nature, interim blocking directions may be issued by the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, a ministry statement said. It is hereby clarified that this is not a new provision. For the past eleven years, since 2009, this provision has been exercised by the Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT under the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009, it said.