‘New rules must not curb freedom of expression’

NEW DELHI: IT industry body Nasscom said the new rules for social media, OTT and digital media players aim to address concerns like grievance redressal, fake news and online safety, but will require the right implementation to ensure that they do not become onerous for the platforms.

There are, however, sections of the industry, including tech firm Mozilla, which felt that certain provisions could "harm" freedom of expression.

Nasscom noted that technology is becoming all pervasive and it is important that there is responsible use and building of technology for all stakeholders government, industry, startups and citizens.

Nasscom also highlighted it is imperative that there is a balance between regulation and innovation as the world is in a phase of accelerated technology shifts.

"...Code aims to address many of the concern areas of grievance redressal, fake news, online safety and parity with existing laws.

"From a user perspective... the option of voluntary self-verification of user accounts and the right to receive an explanatory notification on removal or disablement of access and to seek remedy against the action being taken by the intermediaries should be helpful," Nasscom said.

It further said this will require the right implementation and should not become onerous for the social media platforms.

The government on Thursday announced new rules to curb misuse of social media platforms, as it mandated firms to appoint grievance officer, disclose the first originator of the mischievous information and remove, within 24 hours, content depicting nudity or morphed pictures of women.

Any contentious content flagged by the government or legal order has to be taken down within 36 hours.

The government had said the Code was needed to make social media and OTT companies accountable for "misuse and abuse".