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Tag: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

  • SOPs for IT guidelines: Social media cos might meet Ministry once more

    Social media firms throughout the board are prone to method the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as soon as once more to expedite the method of setting up a typical working process (SOP) for the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, sources in know of the event advised The Indian Express.
    The want for an SOP for the middleman tips was felt as soon as once more, following the current controversy over Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s submit throughout social media platforms, whereby he had posted a photograph of the mother and father of a nine-year-old Dalit woman who was allegedly raped. The picture stoked controversy and was subsequently taken down by Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Simultaneously, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) despatched authorized notices to the platforms in addition to Gandhi.
    Though all of the three platforms eliminated Gandhi’s tweet and submit, they claimed that it was accomplished based mostly on their inside tips on posting and never on the notices despatched by the NCPCR.
    “Right now, the NCPCR has no jurisdiction to send us a legal notice. They should have either approached us through the grievance officer or got a court order asking us to take down the post. We took down the posts as it violated our policies. There is, however, no SOP and we do not know which agency can send us a takedown notice and which cannot,” a senior govt at a social media agency stated.
    An govt at one other social media agency stated that as per the Supreme Court’s judgment within the Shreya Singhal case, the place Section 66A of the IT Act had been struck down, the path to take away any content material from social media can solely be if there’s a court docket order, or if a reliable authority of the Central authorities points such order below Section 69A of the IT Act.

    “Neither Section 69A nor the blocking rules under IT Act authorise NCPCR to direct intermediaries to remove content. We will challenge its (NCPCR’s) jurisdiction in this issue,” the chief stated.
    Twitter was the primary to lock Gandhi out of his account, permitting him entry solely to delete the tweet. Though Gandhi had later submitted a consent letter of the mother and father of the nine-year-old Dalit woman Twitter, Twitter had nonetheless not allowed normal public entry to the tweet and stated that it could stay hidden as it’s in opposition to guidelines below the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.“As part of the appeal process, @RahulGandhi has submitted a copy of the formal consent/authorisation letter to use the referenced image via our India Grievance Channel. The tweet is now withheld in India and the account access has been restored,” a spokesperson for the platform had stated. Twitter had, subsequently, additionally blocked entry to the Congress occasion’s official Twitter account and a number of other different accounts belonging to its leaders. The platform had then stated it had taken “proactive action” on a number of different tweets, which had posted the identical picture.

    “We have taken proactive action on several hundred Tweets that posted an image that violated our rules, and may continue to do so in line with our range of enforcement options. Certain types of private information carry higher risks than others, and our aim is always to protect individuals’ privacy and safety,” a spokesperson for the platform had stated.
    Later, Gandhi’s submit was faraway from Instagram in addition to Facebook. In its official response, Facebook had stated it had “taken action to remove the content as it was in violation of our policies”.
    The platform had additionally stated within the case of the nine-year-old woman, her household had pleaded for his or her security in court docket, and, subsequently, to make sure their security and dignity, the content material had been taken down.

  • WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook vs Govt: India seeks compliance standing particulars ASAP

    The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Wednesday requested the social media corporations, together with Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp, to share particulars of the compliance of the brand new IT tips as quickly as doable.

    Issuing a discover to all “Significant Social Media Intermediaries”, the federal government requested the businesses to supply the scope of its companies, particulars of Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Contact Person, Resident Grievance Officer and bodily contact deal with in India.

    In its be aware, the IT Ministry requested the platforms to present data on the standing of compliance and burdened – “Please confirm and share your response ASAP and preferably today itself.”

    Additional due diligence required from massive social media firms has come into impact from at the moment, the IT Ministry added.

    WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter got three months to adjust to the brand new digital guidelines that require them to nominate a compliance officer in India, arrange a grievance response mechanism and take down content material inside 36 hours of a authorized order.

    View Full ImageHere’s what the Centre wrote to social media corporations on new digital guidelines in India.

    The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, says “significant social media intermediaries” or websites that host third get together data, messages and posts stand to lose safety from lawsuits and prosecution in the event that they fail to adjust to the principles.

    This signifies that large tech corporations can now not be simply intermediaries, which gave them authorized immunity from objectionable content material posted by customers. They shall be handled as some other publishing platform and may face motion.

    Facebook and Google have mentioned they’re working in the direction of complying with the rules although they’ve sought talks with the authorities. However, Twitter is but to touch upon the matter.

    Earlier at the moment, WhatsApp launched authorized motion to cease India from implementing new social media guidelines efficient Wednesday that the tech firm says will break its privateness ensures.

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  • Centre provides WhatsApp seven days to roll again privateness coverage

    The authorities has ordered WhatsApp to withdraw its controversial new privateness coverage, saying the adjustments undermine the sacrosanct values of privateness, information safety and harms rights and pursuits of Indian residents.

    The ministry of electronics and data expertise shot off a letter to WhatsApp on 18 May on the difficulty, individuals conscious of the event stated and warned that vital steps in accordance with legislation can be taken if a passable response was not acquired inside seven days.

    The ministry has taken a powerful place on the matter, and made it clear that it’s not simply problematic but additionally “irresponsible” for the messaging platform to leverage its position to impose “unfair” phrases and circumstances on Indian customers, when many depend upon WhatsApp to speak in on a regular basis life, in accordance with the individuals. In the letter, the ministry has drawn consideration of WhatsApp as to how its new privateness coverage is a violation of a number of provisions of the present Indian legal guidelines and guidelines.

    In fulfilment of its sovereign duty to guard the rights and pursuits of Indian residents, the federal government will contemplate varied choices out there to it below legal guidelines in India, the individuals stated.

    A raging debate had ensued after WhatsApp had stated it is going to replace its phrases of service and privateness coverage round the way it processes consumer information and companions with Facebook to supply integrations throughout the social media large’s merchandise.

    WhatsApp, which has 530 million customers in India as per authorities information, had confronted extreme backlash over consumer considerations that information was being shared with guardian firm Facebook.

    Earlier this week, WhatsApp informed the Delhi excessive court docket that whereas its new privateness coverage has come into impact from 15 May, it might not begin deleting accounts of these customers who haven’t accepted it and would attempt to encourage them to get on board.

    The platform had stated there was no common or uniform time restrict after which it is going to begin to delete accounts as every consumer can be handled on case-to-case foundation.

    In its 18 May communication to WhatsApp, the ministry as soon as once more informed the messaging platform to withdraw its privateness coverage 2021, and in addition flagged WhatsApp’s ‘discriminatory treatment’ of Indian customers vis-a-vis customers in Europe.

    “As you might be doubtlessly conscious, many Indian residents depend upon WhatsApp to speak in on a regular basis life. It isn’t just problematic but additionally irresponsible for WhatsApp to leverage this place to impose unfair phrases and circumstances on Indian customers, notably people who discriminate in opposition to Indian customers vis-à-vis customers in Europe,” as per the communication.

    The individuals famous that WhatsApp had earlier claimed that it formally deferred its new privateness coverage past 15 May 2021. However, the ministry in its communication has asserted that deferral of the privateness coverage doesn’t absolve WhatsApp from respecting the values of informational privateness, information safety and consumer alternative for Indian customers.

    WhatsApp on Wednesday stated nearly all of its customers have already accepted the corporate’s new privateness coverage.

    “Our purpose is to offer details about new choices we’re constructing that individuals can have, to message a enterprise on WhatsApp, sooner or later. While nearly all of customers who’ve acquired the brand new phrases of service have accepted them, we respect some individuals haven’t had the possibility to take action but. No accounts had been deleted on May 15 due to this replace and nobody in India misplaced performance of WhatsApp both. We will comply with up with reminders to individuals over the subsequent a number of weeks,” a WhatsApp spokesperson stated in a press release.

    Prasid Banerjee of Mint contributed to the story.

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  • Tata Motors, Renault, Bajaj Auto in talks to make use of IT Min’s final mile supply system

    Automobile firms, resembling Tata Motors, Renault and Bajaj Automobiles, are in talks with the federal government to utilize the Common Services Centres’ (CSCs’) final mile supply infrastructure, senior authorities officers advised The Indian Express.
    These firms, an official from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) stated, wish to leverage the logistical system developed by Grameen e-stores of the CSC by not less than reserving the orders from rural markets for now.
    “In the initial stages, the idea is to start with getting booking from rural areas, so that the buyers don’t have to make multiple trips to the showroom … to check out the vehicle that they want to buy, and then to book it and then to take delivery. We want to cut it down to one trip maybe where the buyer just pays and gets it delivered at home,” an official stated.

    ExplainedMay open up a brand new marketThe tie-ups with vehicle firms might open up a brand new marketplace for quick access and supply of non-public autos resembling automobiles and jeeps within the rural areas. While firms will be capable to attain potential consumers at very low prices, the gross sales may also assist CSC hold different prices in examine and use the excess funds to put money into growth.

    The CSC, a particular objective car of the IT Ministry, had in April final yr began permitting its village stage entrepreneurs the choice to launch a Grameen e-store. While initially launched for simple supply of important gadgets in villages, gram panchayats and different rural areas, these e-stores quickly expanded their portfolio to begin sale of non-essential gadgets resembling mushy drinks, biscuits, soaps, shampoos, pencils, pens, electrical and digital home equipment.
    Of the IT Ministry’s 4 lakh CSCs, about 1.4 lakh have, to this point, obtained permission to begin operations as Grameen e-stores. The intention, officers stated, is to grant permission to all of the 4 lakh CSCs to double up functioning as e-stores.
    “So, we already have companies such as Bajaj Electric, Whirlpool, and even Tata Power supplying some solar cells in these areas. Of course, these are beyond the ambit of essential items, but since we have a robust delivery mechanism, why not make use of it. That is where the idea of tie-up with automobile companies also comes in,” one other official stated.
    For the mandatory infrastructure to allow a village stage entrepreneur (VLE) to run a Grameen e-store, the CSC has designed 4 apps, one every for the shopper and the VLE within the space, one to trace the individual delivering the merchandise and one business-to-business app to handle the availability of products to the VLEs.
    Over the final yr, these e-stores have tied up with a number of main world and Indian fast-paced client items manufacturers resembling PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Nestle, Tata Consumer Products, Shahi Masala, Adhar Foods, and Unibic biscuits.

    Despite all of the tie-ups with home and multinational companies, nonetheless, the CSC has careworn that it doesn’t wish to hand over the independence of the smallest unit within the supply infrastructure ecosystem, the village stage entrepreneur. Over the final two months, the IT Ministry had, in session with the CSC, turned down not less than two such gives from world retails giants Walmart and Amazon, stating that the autonomous functioning of those entrepreneurs essential.
    Walmart India had approached with the supply someday in February and had mentioned the opportunity of shopping for all of the Grameen e-stores for increasing the attain of its personal shops in addition to augmenting the capability of Flipkart’s last-mile supply. Meanwhile, Amazon had give you a suggestion to assist the Grameen e-stores “scale up all their stores”. Both the gives have been rejected.