The Government of India has proposed new rules to regulate news and current affairs content shared on social media platforms. On March 30, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released draft amendments to the 2021 IT Rules.
According to the proposal, these rules will not apply only to news publishers but also to regular users, including influencers, who share news-related content online. Social media platforms will be required to follow MeitY guidelines to continue receiving legal protection.
The proposed rules mean that the Government of India wants to bring stricter control over news and current affairs content shared on social media. Earlier, such rules were mainly for news channels and publishers, but now even regular users, influencers, and content creators who post news-related content may have to follow these regulations.
Social media platforms like Facebook, X, and YouTube will also have greater responsibility to follow government directions, otherwise they may lose legal protection. The proposal also gives the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting the power to directly block or remove such posts.
The government says this step is to control fake news and misinformation, but many journalists and digital rights groups are concerned that it may increase government control and affect freedom of speech. Since the rules are still in draft stage, the public can share their feedback until April 14 before a final decision is taken.
The government has invited public feedback on the draft, and people can submit their comments until April 14.
