Amendment to IT rules could make it convenient to muzzle the press: DigiPub
DigiPub, a consortium of digital news outlets in the country, has said the proposed amendments to the IT Rules could potentially become a “convenient institutional mechanism to muzzle the press”.
In a statement on Thursday (January 19), DigiPub News India Foundation also said the government should not appropriate powers to legitimize what information or news is real or fake.
Also read: Letting Centre decide ‘fake news’ will muzzle media: Editors Guild on draft IT rule
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Electronics, Information Technology proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 asking social media companies to take down news articles that have been deemed “fake” by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) or any other agency authorized by the central government for fact-checking.
‘Arbitrary power to Govt’
“DigiPub firmly believes that the nuisance of disinformation/misinformation needs to be checked. However, the proposed amendments assign arbitrary and discretionary power to the government of India to determine whether the content is fake without prescribing any procedures or recourse therefrom,” the statement said.
It said the government was not the only stakeholder in a thriving democracy.
Also read: How amendments to IT Rules add more layers of social media censorship
“The media (electronic, print, and digital), information activists, and civil society are equally invested in a democracy’s well-being and in upholding constitutionally-protected freedoms of speech and expression.
“Therefore, the government should not appropriate powers to legitimize what information/news is real or fake,” the statement said.
On Wednesday (January 18), the Editors Guild of India asked the government to “expunge” the amendments to the IT Rules and initiate “meaningful consultations” with press bodies, media organizations, and other stakeholders on the regulatory framework for digital media.
(With Agency inputs)
