Read more about Regulate big tech but not at the expense of user rights: Mishi Choudhary on Business Standard. The heavy-handed ways in which the government has been behaving in shaping the narrative and curbing dissent make even genuine attempts at regulating big tech suspicious, says Choudhary
Josh Edelson / AFP
The Modi government’s threats to ban international social media apps for not complying with new local guidelines are as damaging to the country as they are for these companies.
May 26 was the last day for all social media companies to meet a local regulation in India that was introduced in February and mandates all firms with over 50 lakh users to offer traceability of information as well as appoint a grievance officer.
Failing to follow the regulation will not end in a ban like many clickbait headlines have suggested, but it will result in loss of intermediary status, which means companies like Facebook and Twitter could be criminally liable for any content deemed illegal on their platforms.
India News: NEW DELHI: Digital rights experts have said that WhatsApp’s move to legally challenge the recently introduced intermediary rules is “most significant”.
Failing to follow the regulation won't end in a ban like many clickbait headlines have suggested. It will result in loss of intermediary status, which means Facebook and Twitter could be criminally liable for content.