India's IT Ministry on December 28 put out a notification inviting applicants for the whole-time member position on the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC), which is to be formed under the amended IT Rules, 2021. Interested applicants may send their completed application form and CV to the Group Coordinator (Cyber Law Division) at the IT Ministry at cyberlaw-legal[at]meity[dot]gov[dot]in. The last date to apply is January 12, 2023. What role does the GAC play? According to the IT Rules, 2021, social media intermediaries are required to have a Grievance Officer to whom users or victims may complain about any violation of the rules. In case this Grievance Officer is not able to satisfactorily resolve the complaint, the user can, within 30 days, appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee. The committee’s decision will be binding on the intermediary. The GAC will consist of one chairperson and two whole-time members, who will serve for three-year terms. The government can establish multiple Grievance Appellate Committees. Why does this matter: When the IT Ministry put out the amendments for consultation in June, multiple stakeholders, including us, objected to the establishment of a Grievance Appellate Committee because this body gives the government an additional level of control to regulate content on the platform. Also, it wasn't clear who the members would be and whether they would be able to act independently. The IT Ministry's application indicates that the position will be open to all eligible candidates but we still don't know what the final composition will look like and who the chairperson will be. Concerns with…
