Government Releases Updated IT Rules; Introduces Grievance Panel
Significant social media intermediaries are required to appoint a grievance officer and a nodal officer.

Many global tech giants have been tussling with the Indian government and the Ministry of Information Technology over the past few months due to tighter rules and restrictions making it harder for them operate.

Due to this, the ministry has announced that they have updated and revamped their Information Technology Act and have amended the clauses they have deemed needed to be changed so that tech companies have the freedom to operate in the Indian economy while at the same time, the government and the Ministry of Information Technology can have some sort of regulation over them.

This update came out on the 6^th of June during a press release and conference.

The biggest update however, is the setting up of a grievance panel which has entirely been done by the Ministry of Information Technology. This panel gets the power to go against any decision that social media companies or other tech companies decide to go forth with. This is mainly because many tech companies and the Indian government have different visions as to how the tech landscape should be Indian in the short term and long-term future and the Ministry of Information Technology can use this panel to keep these companies in check just to ensure that they do not stray to far away from the Indian government’s visions and plans for the country.

The spokes people of the Ministry of Information Technology have said that they will invite comments from the public and all parties involved for the next month and will consider them before the new rules and regulations become the norm.

They have also said that these new rules have been put in place to ensure that the internet which is a feature and facet of digital life is a safe, secure, and accessible for all Indians from all walks of life all across the nation.

The rules also state that social media platform with over 5 million active users have to under appoint a grievance officer, a nodal officer as well as a compliance officer who will all work closely with the government and their agency and will be the vessel of communication between the social media platform and the government along with its relevant industries.

The new regulations also bring massive accountability for the actions of the social media platforms and tech giants as the government hopes that they will be able to help keep the companies in check.