India to pass new IT law
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) started its consultations for creating a new IT law that will deal with “present and future circumstances,” especially in social media platforms.
In an interview with The Indian Express, senior government officials said that the new law will incorporate the IT Act of 2000 and add provisions on “newer aspects of technology” such as blockchain, bitcoin, and dark net.
The new act will define various forms of online sexual harassment and layout clear guidelines on punishment for these offenses.
It will also increase the responsibility of online communities to moderate the content posted on their platforms. Additionally, children below 18 would need their parents’ consent when signing up for social media websites to ensure protection.
This move comes after MeitY introduced new amendments in the IT Act of 2000 that require social media platforms to submit monthly reports on complaints received from users with actions that are taken and make tracking the originator of a message in their websites possible.
