The government said on Monday that the new IT rules comply with the rights of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the constitution and will not impose additional obligations on users. The IT department released a set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) around the intermediary guidelines, stating that these rules clearly focus on protecting personal online privacy. Even in terms of identifying the first initiator of a message, protective measures have been taken to ensure that user privacy is not affected Violated.

In general, the FAQ is designed to address questions that Internet and social media users may have about the scope of the new rules, major changes to past terms, how the rules can enhance the safety of women and children, and due diligence conducted by intermediaries, etc. Wait. In one of the issues, the ministry stated that these rules did not violate the right to freedom of speech and expression. “The framework of the new IT rules in 2021 is consistent with these rights. The rules do not impose additional obligations on users, nor do they include any kind of penalties that apply to users,” it said.

In addition, the ministry stated that the rules define “social media intermediary” as primarily or only supporting online interactions between two or more users and allowing them to “use its services to create, upload, share, disseminate, modify, or access information Intermediary”. According to the Ministry of Commerce, under normal circumstances, any intermediary whose main purpose is to promote commercial or business-oriented transactions, provide Internet or search engine services, email services or online storage services, is not qualified as a social media intermediary. This 20-page document.

It explained that to become a social media intermediary, online interaction should be the main or only purpose of the intermediary. “As a result, under normal circumstances, an entity that has other primary purposes but only occasionally achieves online interaction may not be considered a social media intermediary,” it said.

The scope of enabling online interaction will be expanded to promote “social/social networks, including the ability of users to increase influence and attention within the platform through specific functions such as follow/subscribe”.

News Source : Gadgets 360