Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday, 4 February, that the Narendra Modi-led government was willing to introduce stricter social media norms, and that all micro-blogging sites operating in the country must be held accountable.
Seeking consensus of the Rajya Sabha members for stricter social media rules, he said that the government was ready to take up this issue.
Responding to a question raised by CPI-M leader Jharna Das Baidya during the Question Hour, the minister said, "If the Upper House has consensus, we are willing to introduce even stricter social media rules for micro-blogging sites such as Twitter and Facebook."
'Protection of Women Important to Union Govt'
"At this point, we are working within the framework of the Constitution. But yes, going forward, we need to make social media more accountable," Vaishnaw said, responding to the Baidya's query as to whether the government has formulated any rules or guidelines for the social media platforms.
On the action taken against the creator of 'Bulli Bai' and 'Sulli Deals' apps, the minister said, "If the House come to a consensus, we are willing to introduce even stricter social media rules."
Vaishnaw also informed the House that there were five significant social media intermediaries as mandated by the new IT Rules and all of them were obliged to publish their monthly compliance reports.
He also told the Rajya Sabha that Twitter had appointed a Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Contact Person, and Resident Grievance Officer residing in India, as per the IT Rules, 2021.
On action taken against the Bulli Bai app, and in particular, on women safety, Vaishnaw said that the protection of women was important to the Union government.
He informed that a probe was initiated into the Bulli Bai case as soon as the matter came to light.
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