'Responsible social ecosystem': New minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's first post on Koo on I-T rules

The new IT rules will ensure a safer and responsible social media ecosystem in India, Ashwini Vaishnaw posted on Koo.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, the new information and technology minister debuted on Koo on Sunday and his first post on the social media platform was on the recently introduced IT rules which, he said, are "empowering". The minister said he reviewed the implementation and the compliance of the Information Technology rules 2021 with minister of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar. "These guidelines are empowering and protecting users and will ensure a safer and responsible social media ecosystem in India," the minister posted.

Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday made his first post on Koo.

The message comes as Twitter India on Sunday inched towards fully complying with the I-T rules by appointing Vinay Prakash as the resident grievance officer for India.

After months of conflict with the government over these new IT rules, which came into effect on May 26, Twitter, which has lost its status of an intermediary in the country, has submitted the first compliance report in which it said it has taken action against 133 posts and suspended over 18,000 accounts. Facebook and Google have already released their compliance report according to the new IT rules.

Former IAS officer Ashwini Vaishnaw's appointment as the new IT minister replacing senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad at a time when the government is at loggerheads with Twitter was surprising. As soon as the Odisha BJP leader took charge of the ministry, he said the law of the land should be abided by everyone, making it clear that the change in the ministry does not indicate any change in its approach towards the social media platforms, operating in India.