Government Says The New IT Laws Are Safe And Empower The Audience

It also justified the creation of a government monitor with the power to remove, modify, and block publisher content.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have responded to several appeals from various digital media organizations that "counterfeit and misleading audiovisual news" have caused "innocent deaths" and disruption in digital media. 

“The rules governing the evaluation of audiovisual information in terms of freedom of speech and expression may differ from those of other forms of freedom of expression. According to the guidelines, members of the public can only alert publishers to content that may violate the Code of Ethics. Even in such cases, any further action is only possible on strict grounds and in accordance with established procedures,” the center said in its -152-page response.

The center also pointed out to the court that IT rules create civil redress mechanisms without any police power, and that deciding whether certain content violates ethical rules is a deliberative process involving the publisher, representative self-regulatory bodies, and the government.

The government noted that there had been no significant change in the production of the material since the publication of the guidelines and provided data on the number of pages created on the websites of the seven TV stations and the number of accounts. 

According to the government, more than 1,800 digital media publishers have appointed a compensation manager and provided their information.

The center also noted that there is no provision in the IT rules for digital media monitoring and that publishers do not need to register with the ministry in advance. However, he said that the inter-ministerial committee, as part of the monitoring system, has the right to propose a content ban on the grounds set out in section 69A of the IT law.

Regarding the possibility of removing and modifying content, the Center clarified that the possibility of blocking content is a measure of last resort, used only in exceptional cases and that publishers have the right to be heard by a committee ministerial.

While the right to freedom of expression and expression, including freedom of the press, is vital for a viable democracy like India, the rights of a society that “believes and acts in disinformation” must also be protected. report. He said the news audience cannot be seen as passive customers without the opportunity to participate in the accountability process.