Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter, stated that he would prefer to comply with India’s social media laws than have his employees go to jail. Musk made this comment during a Twitter Spaces conversation with a BBC journalist, where he acknowledged that the rules in India for social media are quite strict. His comments come at a time when the Indian government is looking to tighten the laws governing the digital space and rein in big tech companies. Last week, the Indian government notified multiple amendments to the IT Rules, 2021, that empower the government to flag and identify the spread of misleading information about it, and a new entity will be notified to fact-check all online content related to the government.
The Indian government has recently notified amendments to the IT Rules, 2021 that give it more power to flag and identify the spread of misleading information about it. As part of these changes, a new entity will be established to fact-check all online content related to the government. The Bombay High Court is currently hearing a petition filed by comedian Kunal Kamra, challenging norms that empower the government to flag ‘fake news’ concerning government bodies.
The amended rules make it mandatory for social media intermediaries to take down any content flagged by the government as fake news or misinformation related to the central government. The social media platforms are also required to appoint chief compliance and grievance officers who are Indian residents and are responsible for handling complaints from users. Moreover, social media platforms with over 50 lakh users will have to comply with additional requirements such as setting up a local office in India and appointing a nodal officer to coordinate with law enforcement agencies. These new rules have faced criticism from various quarters, including civil society groups, who have raised concerns about potential censorship and curbs on freedom of expression.