The petitioner says that the Rules are not only ambiguous but also "seek to undermine end to end encryption which is a subset of the fundamental right to privacy."
Why The Wire Wants the New IT Rules Struck Down
Synopsis of the petition moved in the Delhi high court by the Foundation for Independent Journalism, publisher of The Wire.
File photo of information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar and law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Photo: PTI/File
Media09/Mar/2021
On Tuesday, the Delhi high court issued notice to the Centre on a petition filed by the Foundation for Independent Journalism, publisher of
The Wire, which pleads that the governmentâs new Information Technology (IT) Rules which seek to dictate content to digital news media platforms go beyond the scope of what is permissible under the IT Act and need to be struck down.
New IT Rules Against Fundamental Principle of News : Digipub Writes to Prakash Javadekar
The largest group of digital news publishers in India says that the Rules not only limit freedom of expression but also strike at the principle of separation of powers.
Union minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar. Photo: PTI/Subhav Shukla
New Delhi: An association of digital publications of news and current affairs, including
The Wire, has written to Union Information and Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar, expressing strong reservations against the newly formulated Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
On February 25, Javadekar’s ministry unveiled a plan to enact greater oversight over social media platforms and also bring digital media and streaming platforms into a stricter regulatory net. A detailed analysis of what the rules entail can be found here.
NEW DELHI: Indian journalists and digital rights advocates have warned that new social media rules announced on Thursday will further undercut online privacy and freedom of expression in the country.
The new controls give the government more power to police content shared on social media and digital streaming platforms.
It means that Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and other services are more accountable to requests for removal of content and the identification of users who are deemed to have committed illegal acts by authorities.
Under the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, social media platforms have to remove content within 36 hours of receiving a legal order and assist law enforcers in probing cybersecurity-related incidents within 72 hours of receiving a request.