Parliament panel questions new OTT guidelines

Among the questions asked were whether the ministry consulted stakeholders before rolling out the guidelines.

The Parliamentary panel on information technology on Monday quizzed officials from the ministry of information and broadcasting on the new digital media rules for intermediaries, online news entities and over the top platforms, a person familiar with the matter said.

The government, on February 25 notified an expansive framework to govern online content , titled Information Technology (Guidelines for intermediaries and digital media ethics code) Rules, 2021. It gave online content providers between 30 to 90 days to comply with the same.(HT Archive)

The panel, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, asked the officials several questions regarding the new guidelines and their implementation, this person added, asking not to be named. The government, on February 25 notified an expansive framework to govern online content , titled Information Technology (Guidelines for intermediaries and digital media ethics code) Rules, 2021. It gave online content providers between 30 to 90 days to comply with the same.

“It was a good meeting between the Parliamentarians and the officials,” the person mentioned above said. “The officials assured the MPs that a process was followed before the new rules were implemented.”

Among the questions asked were whether the ministry consulted stakeholders before rolling out the guidelines.

Another key point raised was whether the rules are in conformity with the existing framework. Experts have flagged that extending the ambit of takedown powers under section 69(A) of the Information Technology to news and over the top platforms goes against the parent act, which only covers only intermediaries. NS Nappinai, Supreme Court Advocate and founder of Cyber Saathi, had earlier told HT that the proposed rules have to be evaluated for sustainability under the parent Act ie the IT Act. “A rule can only be framed within the ambit of the parent provision,” she said. “In case 69(A) is extended to cover online news agencies then the rule will have to be analyzed in context of the law enacted by Parliament.”