Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp messenger could face a ban if they do not comply with the new Information Technology rules, which will come into effect starting May 26.
Barring Koo, the indigenous microblogging app, no other social media giant has complied with the new rules. The government asked Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp Messenger in February to comply with the new IT rules. Facebook on Tuesday said that it aims to comply with the new rules and is working to implement operational processes on Tuesday.
The new rules require social media platforms to follow additional due diligence and require them to appoint a chief compliance officer, nodal contact person and resident grievance officer. Officials from the ministry of information technology who are familiar with the developments said that it is necessary for social media giants to comply with the new rules as public interface for complaints and due to the need for an acknowledgement system for requests.
If Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp Messenger do not comply with the rules these social media giants could lose their intermediary status. Due to the intermediary status, they are exempted from liabilities for any third-party information and data hosted on their platforms.
The new rules focus on provisions around voluntary verification, a 24-hour time limit for removing content flagged for nudity and requires setting up of a time-bound grievance redressal mechanism. It also requires generation of monthly compliance reports, a compliance officer, nodal contact person and resident grievance officer being appointed by the social media platform companies.
Koo, which has 6 million users, complied with the new rules and the social media platform’s Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and Community Guidelines reflect the changes, according to a report. The rest of the social media giants like Facebook (410 million users), Twitter (17.5 million users), Instagram (210 million users) and WhatsApp Messenger (530 million users) have not yet complied with the new rules and have requested for a six-month extension.
