The Government of India (through the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology), recently came out with the revised
Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and
Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 20211
delineating new (stricter) rules to be followed by social-media
platforms/intermediaries and over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
The rules were notified in an attempt to curtail spread of hate
speech, fake news, misinformation etc. which, owing to the
'easy-sharing' characteristic of social-media, proliferates
in little to no time and may threaten national security or create
social unrest. Further, the new rules also contemplate
removal/disabling of content that is against the safety and dignity
of individuals.