Social Media Cannot Be Allowed To Harm India’s National Interest; Censorship Can Be Imposed

The youth of India has a separate life for their social media, be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Whatsapp. It takes less than a fraction of a second for the content on these social media sites to spread around like wildfire, from memes to news.

Which is why it is quite important that the content on the social media sites is checked for the unwanted spreading of rumours and thereby curbing the negative effects on society.

India’s technology minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, has announced that laws will be imposed to regulate the content on social media platforms in order to safeguard India, which is the world’s biggest internet markets.

Read on the know all about the minister’s decision!

Rules and Regulations

Internet companies will be consulted by India and rules will be finalized that will regulate the content on social media sites. There will also be laws set in place to protect the social atmosphere of the country.

Last December, India proposed rules that will leave social media sites such as Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter no other option than to remove illegal and unlawful content off the web so that it does not affect the “sovereignty and integrity of India.”

The rules, which are currently in the draft phase, are being opposed by technology companies due to the reason that they “impose burdensome obligations.”

The rules, if imposed in the format they have been proposed as of today, will guarantee a rise in costs for the companies as the latter will be required to constantly monitor the content that goes on the internet.

Rules and Laws Will Be Imposed Fairly

As per reports, the minister has assured that fairness will be maintained while setting the intermediary rules, which are in the process of being finalised in New Delhi, “We’ll be fair, we’ll be objective, but India’s sovereign right to frame rules and laws will always be there,” said the technology minister.

In an IT conference in Mumbai on Wednesday, the minister spoke to the reporters, “As a minister, I want to assure that a social media company shall not be allowed to abuse the data of Indians to influence elections.”

Considering that elections are so up and close, which gives rumourmongers perfect opportunities to spread fake news, especially political, it is quite clear why the minister is looking to tighten the noose.

Recently, Whatsapp blatantly denied the government’s claims to share the users’ data for regulation purposes. This also resulted in a threat to ban Whatsapp in India, but even this hasn’t changed Whatsapp’s refusal.

Will the companies agree to the rules? Share your opinions with us in the comments section!