Ravi Shakar Prasad, Union Law Minister while speaking in parliament condemned the misuse of social media platforms in India. It comes as a reply to the concerns raised by AAP MP Sushil Kumar Gupta during the question hour in Rajya Sabha. In the wake of Twitter refraining from complying with the orders of union government to block several accounts, RS Prasad said strict action will be taken against social media companies if they are found involved in spread of oxymoron fake news, violence.
Prasad said, "We respect social media a lot, it has empowered common people. Social media has a big role in Digital India programme. We also respect criticism of government through social media. However, if social media is misused to spread fake news, violence, then action will be taken."
We have immense respect for social media as it has empowered the citizens but today I want to clearly state that be it Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or WhatsApp they are free to work in India but they need to abide by the Constitution of India and laws of India. pic.twitter.com/DTwLf0Xc6S
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) February 11, 2021
Prasad informed the house the government has established a platform to bust fake news. The government is also revising intermediary guidelines. The minister said, "Be it Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin or WhatsApp, I requsst all of them politely (to ) work in India, you have crores of followers here and we respect that. You also make money but, you will have to abide by Indian laws and the contitution."
He further added, "We have flagged Twitter. Our department has engaged with the company.....What is the matter that when there is ransacking in US Capitol Hill at Washington, micro-blogging companies stand by police investigation but when Red Fort is breached, the same platforms go against the Indian government? We won't allow these double standards. Yes, freedom of speech is subject to reasonable restrictions for maintaining the sovereignty and integrity of India."
Prasad added that if these companies don't respect Indian laws and in turn govern by their own laws, then they will not be allowed. He further urged social networking companies to check obscene, violent or fake news content on these platforms and asked them to take action as per their own guidelines and policies.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) has issued a statement that rules are being amended to make these platforms more responsive and accountable to Indian laws.