The Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology (MeitY) on December 26, 2023, issued an advisory to all intermediaries to comply with existing IT rules
This aims to ensure platforms identify and promptly remove misinformation, false or misleading content, and material impersonating others.
The following has been stated namely: -
• It has mandated that the intermediaries shall communicate prohibited content, particularly those specified under Rule 3(1)(b) which prohibits misinformation and patently false information.
• It states that the content that is prohibited under the IT Rules, specifically those that are listed under Rule 3(1)(b), must be explicitly communicated to the users in a clear and precise manner, including through its terms of service and user agreements. This must be done at the time of the user's initial registration as well as on a regular basis, particularly during login attempts and when uploading or sharing information onto the platform
• It emphasizes that digital intermediaries must ensure users are informed about penal provisions, including those in the IPC and the IT Act 2000, in case of Rule 3(1)(b) violations.
• It further states that the intermediaries are also obliged to ensure reasonable efforts to prevent users from hosting, displaying, uploading, modifying, publishing, transmitting, storing, updating, or sharing any information related to the 11 listed user harms or content prohibited on digital intermediaries.
[Press Release ID: 1990542]
