Rules for social media grievance panels notified

NEW DELHI: The government on Friday notified rules under which it will set up appellate panels to redress grievances that users may have against decisions of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook on hosting contentious content.

The three-member Grievance Appellate Committee(s) will be set in three months, a gazette notification issued by MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) said.

The government has, in the new rules, added objectionable religious content (with intent to incite violence) alongside pornography, trademark infringements, fake information and something that could be a threat to sovereignty of the nation that users can flag to social media platforms. Their decisions on such flaggings can be challenged in the grievance committees.

Soon after the amendements were notified, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted: “Empowering users. Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) has been introduced for hearing appeals against decisions of Grievance Officer appointed by the intermediary”.

While big tech companies had been advocating self-regulation, the government seems to have taken a view that users’ concerns about content on social media platforms need to be addressed by a grievance appellate body.

The rules have now been amended through the Friday’s notification to strengthen grievance redressal mechanism.