The latest version of the country’s proposed Broadcast Bill suggests that the online streaming services, social media accounts and online video creators, from across the globe, might come under the regulation of the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
New Broadcast Bill
This simply means that these proposed changes in the bill will have significant implications for press and creative freedom.
After its approval, the YouTubers and Instragrammers (and perhaps TikTok creators) beyond a certain threshold of users will have to intimate the Indian government of their existence within a month of the Bill being passed.
They will have to register with a three tier regulatory structure which was previously only applicable to streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar.
Besides this, they will also have to invest in creating a content evaluation committee at their own cost which will need to check all content before it gets published.
In addition to this, the social media companies that do not provide the government with information about their users will also have to face some criminal liability.
The accounts which share news will also have to notify the government with their details within a month of the Bill’s notification.
They need to comply with the three-tier regulatory structure, regardless of platform or follower count.
The advertising networks as “advertising intermediaries” will also come in the scope of this bill.
Last week, a draft of the updated Broadcast Bill was shared with select broadcasters, associations, streaming services, and major tech firms.
Each copy was marked with the organization’s identifier to prevent leaks.
If you are wondering about the original Broadcast Bill, it was published for public consultation last November.
Although, this revised version is only accessible to a limited audience, despite significant scope expansions.
Who & How Does This Change Affect ?
It is noteworthy here that the changes in the Bill from its previous draft significantly expand the scope.
Now, the applicability of the Bill will be to a larger number of stakeholders, but there are some reductions of scope as well. Below are the main domains which will get affected by this bill.
