Social media companies and other online intermediaries are now responsible to monitor 'news and current affairs' content on their platforms published by individual journalists, freelancers, satirists or any other commentator. As a result online commentators like Faye D'Souza, Akash Banerjee (DeshBhakt), Dhruv Rathee, Amit Varma (SeenandtheUnseen) and even standup comedians could now fall under the government's new regulatory framework. Last week, the government notified the Intermediary Liability and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021 which introduced a new a regulatory oversight mechanism under the ambit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for news and current affairs/curated content on the internet. Legal experts told MediaNama that the rules clearly spell out various responsibilities placed on social media platforms when it comes to any and all online 'news and curated content', regardless of whether it is published by individuals or established news organisations. A bit of context: The new intermediary rules mandate that social media companies operating in India have to follow specific due-diligence norms and set up a grievance redressal mechanism, which will be administered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY). While for digital media publishers, the government has awarded powers to the MIB to enforce a self-regulatory mechanism and grievance redressal system. MediaNama has prepared summaries explaining the new IT rules for social media and digital media entities under the IT Act. Why this matters: Under these rules, the government's has expanded its powers under Section 69A to include social media companies and digital media…
