In a major touch, the main social media platforms and messaging applications such as Facebook, Google, Koo, ShareChat, Telegram, WhatsApp have agreed to fully or partially comply with the new IT rules introduced by the Indian government.
New computer policies require these technical platforms with more than 50 LAKH users to appoint a local grievance officer, a nodal officer and a compliance officer. According to government officials, Google and Facebook have initiated the process of updating their website with required information and shared the details of the IT department.
In addition, in an offer to fight against false news, the government wants that messaging platforms such as WhatsApp implements the traceability to follow the origin of a message. WhatsApp, rather than accepting this condition, continued the Indian government indicating that this policy could affect the privacy of users.
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On the other hand, it is reported that Twitter, which has been at the drop-down list with the Indian federal government, remains to be respected. Rather than announcing a compliance officer based in India, Twitter reportedly shared the details of a lawyer working in a law firm as a nodal contact person and grievance agent.
Techradar India contacted Twitter and does not yet have an official answer on the same thing.
What happens if a platform does not accept new policies?
In addition to the appointment of nodal officers and heads of conformity in the country, the new computer rules require that social media companies take action against the content marked within 36 hours and suppress any content reported for nudity or pornography in the 24 hours.
Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter are also required to implement the traceability of messages, which, according to the government, is essential to combat the fake news and prevents the spread of hate messages.
Failure to comply with these laws, these platforms could make them accountable for action in the event that a complaint is filed against them. Non-compliance with new policies will mean that the platform will lose its intermediate status that provides immunity from any shared / hosted data on their platform.
While WhatsApp estimates that the traceability clause violates the confidentiality of users and is therefore worried to accept the condition, Twitter is not ready to accept that the head of chief compliance can be criminalized for any content shared on the platform. These are also some of the conditions that will oblige Twitter to share the details of its users and believe that this is incompatible with open and democratic principles.
The Indian government, this time, however, has taken a difficult position and hopes that all these companies follow the rules of the Earth, in the event that they would like to operate in the country.