Twitter, Facebook may not be able to operate in India from May 26
Social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram may face a ban in India if they do not comply with the new Intermediary Guidelines.
The deadline to comply with the new legal rules meant for big social media platforms, which were issued by the Indian government three months ago on February 25 under Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021.
The government’s rules will come into effect from May 26.
It is a crucial moment for the social media companies because if they do not comply with the new rules by May 25, they will lose their status and protections as intermediaries and criminal action can be taken against them as per the laws of India, a government official said in a statement. The US-based companies had asked for six months time as they are waiting for a response from the US headquarters.
As per the new rules announced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the social media platforms will have to appoint compliance officers from India. The officer will overlook the complaints, monitor the content, and remove it if it is objectionable. Such rules are not only applicable to social media platforms but also to OTT platforms such as, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others.
