Govt To Establish Grievance Appellate Committees For Social Media In 3 Months
The aim to set-up such committee is to allow users an alternative dispute resolution method of social media sites such as Meta (former Facebook) and Twitter. The platforms are allowed some exemption in performing “due diligence” on user-generated content. The Grievance Appellate Committee will comprise of three-person body with a chairperson and two full-time members appointed by the central government
As per the media reports, the government plans to establish centrally appointed Grievance Appellate Committees (GACs). Such will take place within three months of the notice of amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules of 2021 under the IT Act.
The aim to set-up such committee is to allow users an alternative dispute resolution method of social media sites such as Meta (former Facebook) and Twitter.
Expectedly the notification containing final text of the proposed amendments in the IT Rules of 2021 will be released in coming days. Such amendments were initially made available for public consultation in June this year.
The intermediaries are also directed by final regulations to “respect all the rights guaranteed to the citizens under the Constitution, notably in Articles 14, 19 and 21.” And requires to set shorter deadlines of 24 hours to act on sensitive content. The platforms are also allowed some exemption in performing “due diligence” on user-generated content.
According to the final draft requirements, the Grievance Appellate Committee will comprise of three-person body with a chairperson and two full-time members appointed by the central government. The above-mentioned members will comprise of one ex-officio member and two independent members.
If anyone finds the decision of an intermediary being unfair, he will have a period of 30 days to file an appeal against the decision, according to the provisions laid down in the draft.
Previously, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had taken the decision of moving ahead with its disputable proposal and appoint multiple Government Advisory Committee (GACs) despite the industry been lobbying for a self-regulatory body. The government thinks that the platforms’ response to user complaints are slow, according to an official.
The formations of government-backed GACs faced objections by Companies and raised doubt on the independence of such forums and highlighting issues with free speech. Hence, the government then asked the sector itself to develop a self-regulatory model. However, that could not be achieved due to lack of agreement on a framework among the major platforms.