The upcoming Digital India Act, set to replace the two-decade-old IT Act, 2000, will cover crimes on social media platforms and monitor content on OTT platforms, people aware of the development told The Economic Times.
For OTT platforms, the DIA will reportedly be over and above the censor board and will allow the government to request the takedown of content violating the 'accepted and notified guidelines.'
The new law will also have specific guidelines around the safety of women and children, according to the report.
“It will be one comprehensive law to address convergence in technologies, services, and devices,” a source told the publication.
Criminalising Online Offences
The law will criminalise deliberate misinformation and doxxing, according to The Indian Express, since offences in the online world are unique to the online world and cannot be policed by laws designed for the offline world.
Under the present IT laws, there is no provision that covers online misinformation and is seen through the lens of defamation. The new Act seeks to separate the two and classify the deliberate spreading of misinformation as an offence in and of itself.
Social media companies like Meta and Twitter will also be held accountable for their role in abetting deliberate misinformation, the report suggested.
The Indian government is currently in the process of creating a legal and executive architecture to support India's digital plans. It includes:
A data governance policy framework
Cybersecurity policies and guidelines
A new data protection law
The proposed Digital India Act
The Digital India Act will reportedly regulate net neutrality, online privacy, algorithmic accountability of social media platforms, and new and emerging technologies such as blockchain, metaverse, and artificial intelligence.
(With inputs from The Indian Express and The Economic Times.)
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