ParliamentStanding Committee on Information Technology (I&T) has issued summons toFacebook India and Google India asking them to send their representatives to appearbefore it on Tuesday to hear their views on safeguarding citizens' rights andprevention of misuse of social online news media platforms.
Themeeting will be held at 4 p.m. onwards at Main Committee Room, Parliament HouseAnnexe in presence of committee members, officials of Ministry of I&T andthe representatives of Facebook and Google. Senior Congress leader and LokSabha member Shashi Tharoor is the Chairman of the committee, which includes 31members -- 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
Themeeting schedule mentions that the committee is "to hear the views ofrepresentatives of Facebook India and Google India on the subject Safeguardingcitizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social online news media platformsincluding special emphasis on women security in the digital space".
Inits next sitting on July 6, representatives of the Ministry of Electronics andInformation Technology will submit evidence related to the subject before thecommittee.
Therehave been more than two similar meetings between the committee and therepresentatives of social media sites, including Facebook, Google and Twitter.
Ina recent one, the committee had called Twitter to appear before it on June 18to give representation on how to prevent misuse of social media and onlinenews. On June 20, India's permanent mission at the United Nations had clarifiedthat India's new IT rules are "designed to empower ordinary users ofsocial media" and that they were finalised after the government held broadconsultations with civil society and other stakeholders in 2018.
TheCentral government has framed the Information Technology (IntermediaryGuidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 ('new IT Rules') andnotified the same on February 25 this year. The Rules came into effect from May26.
InJanuary this year, the committee had issued summons to officials of Facebookand Twitter to question them over misuse of the social media or online newsplatforms. The committee has also questioned Facebook's India head Ajit Mohanover the issue of political bias on the social media platform.
Theallegations of a Facebook bias towards the BJP were reported in The Wall StreetJournal in August 2020 and had claimed that Ankhi Das, the platform's thenIndia Policy Head had opposed the idea of removing hate posts by BJP leaders,warning that this could hamper their "commercial interests".
Dashas now quit Facebook.
Takingcognizance of misuse of social networking sites, the National Commission ForProtection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on June 14 sought a report from Twitter,WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram regarding posts on these social networkingsites offering illegal adoption of children orphaned amid ongoing Covid-19pandemic.
Theapex child rights body has also directed these four social media entities tosubmit their report within 10 days, and also warned them to take strict actionagainst them if they fail to report such posts.
Ina letter written to these social networking sites, the NCPCR suggested if anyperson posts any such content, an immediate report should be sent to thecommission or law enforcement authorities or state commission with a detailedIP address of the user.