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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (INTERMEDIARY GUIDELINES and DIGITAL MEDIA ETHICS CODE) AMENDMENT RULES, 2023

7th April, 2023 POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

Copyright infringement not intended

Context: The Centre amended IT law that made it mandatory for intermediaries to remove anti-government posts after PIB issues an alert.

Details

  • The changes were announced through the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023, which amended the IT Rules, 2021.

Mandatory for Online Platforms

  • Online platforms and other Internet intermediaries are now required to make sure that "fake news" items concerning the Union Government that have been classified as such by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) be removed from their platforms.

How Fake News will be identified?

  • According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting sources, the PIB fact check team would contact appropriate government departments to determine if a piece of news is fake or not, and then make a decision.

Keywords

Press Information Bureau (PIB)

  • PIB is a nodal body of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India.
  • PIB broadcasts information on government plans, policies, programme activities, and achievements via print, electronic, and digital media.
  • In addition to Hindi and English, it is accessible in 14 of the 22 recognised Indian languages.
  • The Senior Director General of PIB is also the Government of India's Official Spokesman (Special Secretary Equivalent).

Internet intermediary

  • An Internet intermediary is an organization that makes it easier to utilise the Internet. Internet service providers (ISPs), search engines, and social media platforms are examples of such organizations.
  • Internet intermediates are defined as entities (mainly for-profit corporations) that "bring together or facilitate transactions between third parties on the Internet."

Must Read Articles:

Amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021): https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/amendments-to-the-information-technology-intermediary-guidelines-and-digital-media-ethics-code-rules

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (INTERMEDIARY GUIDELINES AND DIGITAL MEDIA ETHICS) RULES, 2021: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/information-technology-intermediary-guidelines-and-digital-media-ethics-rules-2021

Social media Regulations: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/social-media-regulation

Fake news: https://www.iasgyan.in/rstv/perspective-fake-news

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Social media has grown in importance to the point that it has nearly overtaken all other online information sources. What are the features of the "Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Regulations, 2021," and what issues do they address? 

https://epaper.thehindu.com/ccidist-ws/th/th_delhi/issues/31556/OPS/G4AB34J1N.1+G50B353RS.1.html