Internet a tool for unimaginable disruption: Centre tells SC

NEW DELHI: The internet has emerged as a potent tool to cause “unimaginable disruption” to democratic polity, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday, while seeking three more months for finalising and notifying the rules that would regulate the functioning of social media intermediaries in the country.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) told the top court that though technology had led to economic growth and societal development, there was also an exponential rise in hate speech, fake news and anti-national activities.

A bench of justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant took the affidavit on record after advocate Rajat Nair, appearing for the Centre, mentioned the matter and said they had sought three months’ time for finalisation of the Information Technology Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment) Rules, 2018

The affidavit was filed in a transfer petition moved by Facebook Inc., seeking transfer of cases filed in three high courts, relating to linking of social media profiles with Aadhaar.

The affidavit filed by Pankaj Kumar, Additional Secretary, MeitY, said, “As the internet has emerged as a potent tool to cause unimaginable disruption to the democratic polity, it was felt that the extant rules be revised for effective regulation of intermediaries, keeping in view the ever-growing threats to individual rights and the nation’s integrity, sovereignty, and security.”