New IT rules will ensure ‘safer and responsible’ social media ecosystem, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the new information technology rules would empower social media users.

“Reviewed the implementation and compliance of Information Technology Rules, 2021 along with my colleague Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar ji,” said Vaishnaw on social media platform Koo. “These guidelines are empowering and protecting users and will ensure a safer and responsible social media ecosystem in India.”

This was the Union information technology minister’s first post on social media platform Koo, a lookalike of Twitter developed by a Bengaluru-based startup.

The new IT rules are a sweeping set of regulations – which were announced in February and became effective in May – framed to regulate social media companies, streaming and digital news content, virtually bringing them, for the first time, under the ambit of government supervision.

Under the new rules, social media platforms with over 50 lakh users also need to appoint chief compliance officers in order to make sure the rules are followed, nodal officers to coordinate with law enforcement agencies. All the personnel have to be based in India.

Vaishnaw’s statement came amid the Centre’s standoff with Twitter over the new rules. The central government and Vaishnaw’s predecessor in the ministry, Ravi Shankar Prasad, have repeatedly criticised Twitter for not complying with the new regulations.

On July 5, the government told…

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