Union minister of data and broadcasting, railways, and electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw pressured the pressing must strengthen present legal guidelines governing social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms within the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
“We live within the period of social media and OTT platforms. Nonetheless, the democratic establishments and conventional types of the press that when relied on editorial checks to make sure accountability and correctness of content material have seen these checks diminish over time,” Vaishnaw mentioned whereas addressing a parliamentary query.
He added that because of the absence of such editorial oversight, social media has turn out to be a platform for freedom of the press on the one hand and an area for uncontrolled expression, which regularly consists of vulgar content material, on the opposite.
Acknowledging the distinct cultural variations between India and the geographies the place these platforms originated, Vaishnaw identified that India’s cultural sensitivities differ enormously from these of the areas the place a few of these platforms originated. This makes it crucial for India to make present legal guidelines stricter. He, due to this fact, urged everybody to come back to a consensus on this matter.
The minister additional urged the parliamentary standing committee to take up the problem as a precedence. “There needs to be societal consensus on it, together with stricter legal guidelines to handle this problem,” he mentioned.
In February 2021, the federal government formally tightened its management over digital and OTT platforms with the introduction of a three-tier mechanism that it termed as a “soft-touch regulatory structure”. Whereas the primary two tiers put in place a system of self-regulation by the platforms themselves, the essential third known as for an oversight mechanism managed by central authorities bureaucrats.
Through the years, the scrutiny has solely elevated, with OTT exhibits like Tandav, Mirzapur, and IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack having come underneath the scanner.
