The government neither regulates social media intermediaries nor imposes any restrictions on the freedom of expression of its users, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that the IT Rules, 2021, put specific obligations on intermediaries that no intermediary shall violate the rights guaranteed to citizens under the Constitution.
“The government does not interfere or control social media Intermediaries and do not impose any restrictions on freedom of expression on their users. The IT Rules, 2021, put specific obligations on intermediaries that no intermediary shall violate the rights given to citizens under the Constitution,” the minister said.
He said the government aims to ensure an open, secure, reliable and accountable internet for citizens.
In response to a question whether the government proposes to appoint an officer to hold the accountability of social media, the minister said that the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Conduct) Rules, 2021, known as the IT Rules, 2021 has placed specific obligations on intermediaries around the type of information to be hosted, displayed, uploaded, published, transmitted, stored or shared.
Under the rules, intermediaries are required to remove any content that violates any law in force for the time being brought to it either through a court order or through a notice by the appropriate government or its authorized agency Is.
“In case of failure by intermediaries to comply with the due diligence provided in the IT Rules, 2021, they shall lose their exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act and shall be liable for consequential action as provided in such law said the minister.
Responding to a question on the action taken by the government against social media companies, Chandrasekhar said that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued instructions to block a total of 6,775 web links in the year 2022, including URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) for webpages. ) Are included. , websites and content and accounts on social media platforms.