Explained | What are the new rules on social media?

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 up in three months, a gazette notification issued by MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) said.

What is in the new IT rules?

The government had, in February 2021, notified IT rules that provided for social media platforms to appoint a grievance officer. Users at the first stage flag complaints against content or another user, to the grievance officer.

Read | Centre releases amended IT rules for social media

The rules have now been amended through the Friday notification to strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism. The amendments provide for social media platforms to acknowledge user complaints within 24 hours and resolve them within 15 days thereafter.

In the new rules, the scope of what people can issue complaints against has been expanded to include child sexual material, nudity, trademark and patent infringement, misinformation, impersonation of another person, content threatening the unity and integrity of the country as well as "objectionable" content that promotes "enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion or caste with the intent to incite violence."

What is the job of the grievance appellate body?

At present, the social media firms must have an in-house grievance redressal officer and designate executives to co-ordinate with law enforcement officials.

Under the amended rules, the companies will be required to set up Grievance Appellate Committee, which will comprise a chairperson and two whole-time members appointed by the central government.

The committees will have the power to pass directions to social media companies like Twitter or Facebook to remove content. “The committee to decide complaints against intermediaries including Twitter or Facebook for displaying obscene, pornographic content besides the content that threatens unity and integrity of India,” said an official in the Ministry.

Additionally, any user aggrieved by a decision of an intermediary's own grievance officer can appeal to the government-appointed Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) within a period of 30 days.

The GACs shall try to resolve the issue within 30 days and may also seek assistance from experts. The panels will adopt an online dispute resolution mechanism so that the entire appeal process, from filing of appeal to the decision thereof, is conducted digitally.

The grievance appellate panel will deal with such appeals "expeditiously" and endeavour to resolve the appeal finally within 30 calendar days from the date of receipt of the appeal.

Why were the rules required?

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 move is also aimed to give social media users a chance to settle the complaints at the earliest instead of approaching courts.

(With agency inputs)