Fintech
Travel Tech
Electric Vehicle
Health Tech
Edtech
IT
Logistics
Retail
Ecommerce
Startup Ecosystem
Enterprise Tech
Clean Tech
Consumer Internet
Agritech
The minister has said that the government's policies are “aimed at ensuring a safe, trusted and accountable internet to its users."
The minister was responding to a question on the notice issued to the social media platform X over New Delhi railway station stampede on February 15
Vaishnaw said that IT Rules, 2021 cast specific obligations on intermediaries, including social media intermediaries, to observe due diligence while discharging its duties
Responding to a question on the notice issued to social media platform X over New Delhi railway station stampede, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the government’s policies are “aimed at ensuring a safe, trusted and accountable internet to its users while ensuring the internet remains free from any form of unlawful content or information.”
In his written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said that Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, notified under the Information Technology Act, 2000, cast specific obligations on intermediaries, including social media intermediaries, to observe due diligence while discharging its duties.
“Such obligations include the making of reasonable efforts by the intermediary to cause its users not to host, display, upload, publish, transmit or store any information that knowingly or intentionally violates any law,” Vaishnaw said.
The query was raised by Javed Ali Khan, an MP from Uttar Pradesh, who sought to know whether the ministry sent a notice to X to take down 285 videos related to the stampede at the New Delhi railway station on February 15, whether the social media platform removed the videos, and who took the decision to send the notice.
As many as 18 people were killed in the stampede, including 11 women and four children. A high-level committee is currently investigating the incident.
Centre Vs X : A Long Standing Battle
Amid several legal disputes with the Indian government over content regulation, the Elon Musk-led X is also currently battling against Centre’s use of Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology (IT) Act. This act requires intermediaries like X to remove content when notified by the government.
The social media platform says that this Act is contrary to Supreme Court’s Shreya Singhal judgment, which permits content blocking only through Section 69A framework of the IT Act or court orders.
Last week, the company took this matter to the Karnataka High Court. Now, the Centre is looking to file objections against this lawsuit.
Besides, Musk’s AI model Grok has also been in headlines over its objectionable content.
The debate comes at a time when Musk is looking to bring Tesla and Starlink in the country.
