Govt releases FAQs on IT intermediary rules

New Delhi: IT Ministry on Monday released a set of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQs) around the intermediary guidelines to enable a better understanding of goals and provisions of the new rules among internet and social media users.

Releasing the FAQs, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar asserted that the internet must remain open, safe, and trusted for users. Cyberspace cannot be a place where criminality finds refuge, he said.

The FAQs comprise questions that people ask about the rules, and are geared to make it easier for users to understand the norms around the internet and social media in the country.

India enforced new IT intermediary rules earlier this year, aiming to bring greater accountability for big tech companies, including Twitter and Facebook.

The rules require social media platforms to remove any content flagged by authorities within 36 hours and set up a robust complaint redressal mechanism with an officer being based in the country.

Social media companies are required to take down posts depicting nudity or morphed photos within 24 hours of receiving a complaint.

Significant social media companies — those with over 50 lakh users — also have to publish a monthly compliance report disclosing details of complaints received and action taken as also details of contents removed proactively.