Ravi Shankar Prasad praises Ashwini Vaishnaw's IT rules stand

Former IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday lauded his successor Ashwini Vaishnaw for insisting that social media companies must follow the new IT rules.

“Greetings to the new IT Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw for firmly reiterating that the new IT Rules are designed to empower the safety & security of users against misuse and redress their grievances,” Prasad tweeted.

The former minister further added that “Assuring to note that Twitter too has taken some steps to comply with the new Rules.”

Though the exact reason for dropping Prasad from Cabinet was not known, earlier there was a speculation that he was removed for continued spat with social media companies including Twitter on implementation of new IT rules. Twitter and the government were at loggerheads over the removal of “inflammatory” posts and implementation of new IT rules, recently appointed a Resident Grievance Officer.

However, soon after assuming charge, Vaishnaw reiterated that all those who live and work in India will have to abide by the rules of the country.

Defending new IT rules, Vaishnaw on Sunday posted on Koo platform, "These guidelines are empowering and protecting users and will ensure a safer and responsible social media ecosystem in India."

Vaishnaw on Sunday held a review meeting on Saturday to discuss the controversial social media and intermediary guidelines, and was updated on the status of compliance.

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