Government Curbs Misuse of Social Media

At a recent meeting chaired by National Security Advisor Shivshanker Menon, Government has formulated a three-pronged strategy including setting up of a cyber surveillance agency which can forewarn about any such malicious intent.

It was also decided to frame guidelines for telecom operators to prevent panic reaction as seen in recent weeks when Internet and social media was used to spread rumours, particularly on clashes in Assam, according to the minutes of the meeting.

This comes in the backdrop of recent disturbances in Assam followed by mass exodus of people from various parts of the country back to their homes in the North-East, and other similar instances.

The Government will also formulate new laws that clarify the legal position on whether the law of the land or the law of the countries where the Internet companies are headquartered will take precedence in cyberspace. This is important because Internet companies including Google and Facebook have repeatedly said they will comply only with US laws. Indian authorities want the social networks to conform to local laws and sensitivities when it comes to blocking Web content.

The meeting, which was also attended by senior officials from Home Ministry, PMO, intelligence agencies and from National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), took stock of the validity, impact and effectiveness of the government action to block certain content on the internet and social media, it said.

According to media reports,during the meeting, it was decided to have an "effective monitoring system, comprising duly tasked and technologically empowered cyber monitoring and surveillance agencies which can report build up in time and forewarn government of any malicious use of the internet and social media."

It was also decided to prepare a legal regime approved by the government, which fills the existing gaps in the Information Technology Act for dealing with such situation, including deterring malicious use of the internet and social media.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will prepare the new guidelines and the standard operating procedure. The Department of IT and Electronics will prepare this policy paper outlining the structure and mandate of the proposed mechanism.