On Saturday, Kapil Sibal, a former Union information technology minister, blasted the Centre for overhauling IT rules, accusing it of “comprehensive media capture”.
The first step was to capture TV networks, and now they’re capturing social media platforms, according to news agency ANI Sibal.
According to Sibal, “we are moving toward one code of conduct, one political party, one system of governance, and no accountability to anyone.”
This government’s policy has always been safe for the government and unsafe for others, he said. “The only forum left for ordinary citizens is social media; when defamatory statements are made, people will be prosecuted,” he added.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology, said on Saturday that the goal of changing the IT rules is to ensure an open, secure, and accountable internet.
Our main objective is to ensure that the internet is open, safe, accountable, and trusted for our 120 crore digital citizens, Chandrasekhar told ANI.
We have implemented these new rules based on the learnings between May 2021, when the last rules were notified, and the consultations we held…We have addressed a lot of the gaps that existed in the previous rules.”.
It follows the Central government’s announcement that user grievances against social media platforms will be referred to appellate panels.
It is reported that this appellate will be set up within three months and will resolve the grievances of netizens within thirty days of receiving communication from the grievance officer. “Such appeals shall be dealt with expeditiously by the Committee, and an attempt shall be made to resolve the appeal within thirty calendar days of receiving it,” the notification stated.
An online dispute resolution mechanism will be adopted by the Grievance Appellate Committee that will allow the entire appeal process, from filing to decision, to be conducted electronically.