The rules are a clear articulation of the desire of the ruling government to turn the internet into a managed space sans dissent and were notable for the level of government control they sought to directly impose on content hosting platforms online, particularly social media.
The amended IT Rules, like the draft telecom bill released in September and the upcoming data protection legislation, represent an important turning point in how the internet is governed in India. For this piece, I will focus on what is problematic with the IT Rules, 2021.
https://countercurrents.org/2022/11/moving-towards-an-unfree-internet-the-amended-it-rules-2021/
- What’s wrong: There is no procedure to determine what is considered ‘misinformation’ or how the intent to disseminate misinformation is to be determined. It should be up to us as users to judge the quality of information we access online, and how we choose to act on it. Social media platforms should make self-regulated efforts in this direction, but that itself should be prompted by pressure mounted by users and not by the government.
- This again opens up the scope for pre-emptive content takedowns and increases the vulnerability of those who seek accountability from government, corporations, and public and cultural institutions.
- It stifles reporting and documentation from a human-rights perspective and hinders the creation of a record of the State’s actions and policies from a critical lens.
- by Arjun Banerjee
- 13/11/2022
