India makes social media platforms accountable
INDIA yesterday rolled out new regulations for social media companies and digital streaming websites to make them more accountable for the content shared on their platforms, giving the government more power to police it.
The Information Technology Ministry said the new regulations would require social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to swiftly erase content authorities deem unlawful. The regulations include a strict oversight that would allow the government to ban content affecting “the sovereignty and integrity of India.”
The regulations would also require companies to assist investigations by law enforcement agencies. They were announced as debate swirls over free speech and the suspension by Twitter of some Indian accounts linked to farmers’ protests after regulators ordered them blocked.
Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the new regulations were a “soft touch progressive institutional mechanism” required for the “security and sovereignty of India, public order, and rape or any other sexually explicit material.”
They will require social media companies to remove illegal content as quickly as possible, within no more than 36 hours.
The new rules also require social media platforms to appoint chief compliance and grievance officers to handle complaints from law enforcement agencies. These officers should be Indian citizens and must send monthly compliance reports to the government.
“The government welcomes criticism and the right to dissent, but it is very important that the users must be given a forum to raise their grievances against the abuse and misuse of social media,” Prasad said.
Helmed by Lu Yang, the movie revolves around a father who needs to kill Lu Kongwen, the author of a fantasy novel series, to save his missing daughter. It boasts an innovative plot, as well as visually impelling special effects to depict the fantasy world of the novel, which begins to impact life in the real world.
Starring: Yang Mi, Yu Hewei and Tong Liya
It is a Chinese remake of the Japanese film “Key of Life.” The movie tells the story of a hapless loser who accidentally assumes the identity of an amnesia victim without knowing that he is an assassin. However, both of them come to realize purpose of life in the end. Starring: Andy Lau, Xiao Yang and Wan Qian
Where to watch: Grand Theater Cinema, Cathay Cinema, Premiere Cinemas, UME International Cineplex, SFC New World Cinema City, Peace Cinema, Shanghai Film Art Center and Wanda Cinemas
GRANT Holloway broke the world record for the indoor 60-meter hurdles that had stood for 27 years, clocking 7.29 seconds at an event in Madrid on Wednesday. The American took 0.01 seconds off the previous mark set by Britain’s Colin Jackson in 1994. Holloway, who is the world indoor champion over the sprint hurdles, extended his winning streak in the event to 54 races — dating back to 2014 when he was 16. His win at the Villa de Madrid event secured him overall victory in the World Athletics Indoor Tour. The 23-year-old said the outdoor 110 hurdles world record of compatriot Aries Merritt, set in 2012, was now in his sights.
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