MUMBAI: In a bid to ensure that social media is free from harmful content the government is looking at shifting the accountability from users to platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Telegram.
According to the reports, Telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan said, “The committee which I’m part of is primarily looking into a few key aspects, including shift of accountability from a user to a social platform, as users are sometimes unaware and innocently retweet or forward content, so much higher standards of accountability for platforms are needed.”
Every major platform that has a significant presence in India must be accountable to Indian authorities. “There must be a full-fledged management team present in the country accountable to Indian laws,” she said. “It should not be, as such, one compliance officer is here only.”
The government is preparing to repeat its demand that WhatsApp put in place a technical solution to trace the origins of incendiary messages spread on its platform, something the Facebook-owned platform has resisted, maintaining that it goes against its privacy policy.
The centre has been dissatisfied with the steps taken by WhatsApp to restrain fake news. The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) is drafting a letter—its third since July to the platform—asking it to design a technology-led solution to the viral messages that in the past have led to lynching and riots.
In a report, experts said that any decision that makes a company such as Whatsapp responsible for the content on its platform, will force the messaging app to devise ways to ensure it is not misused instead of merely passing on the blame to the user, who will be difficult to trace given the encryption.
Sundararajan said, “There are algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI), which these platforms already use, that can also be deployed to curb such content. While regulation of social media apps rests with MeitY, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) ensures security of the content being transmitted through the network.”
She added that DoT can make lawful interceptions in the interests of public safety but does not propose to block social apps. It’s up to the companies to have adequate precautionary measures.
The government had earlier raised its concerns after which WhatsApp limited forwards to five users or groups, when it used to be 250, while identifying forwarded messages, and a publicity campaign against fake news.
The government has also told WhatsApp that it won’t be allowed to set up a payment service until it establishes an office and recruits a team in India.
Sundararajan said the government wants Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and others to treat Indian consumers on par with those overseas while it looks to bring in higher standards of accountability. “Is the Indian citizen any less than an American citizen? No. Whatever safeguards and best practices you (companies) are providing globally, nothing less than should be available for India. This is the principle we are trying to establish,” Sundararajan said. “Like companies should treat India as most-favoured nation in trade and Indian consumers should also be treated likewise.”
