Lok Sabha Question No. 3461 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-02
Subject: Dangerous Games Online
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: KRISHN PRATAP SINGH, POONAMBEN HEMATBHAI MAADAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3461

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 02.01.2019

## DANGEROUS GAMES ONLINE

## 3461. DR. KRISHAN PRATAP: SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM:

Will the Minister of Electronics & Information Technology be pleased to state:-

- (a) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  prevent  the  teenagers  from  playing  the dangerous online games like Blue Whale and such other games, to impose a ban on such games and issue advisories to schools, colleges in this regard;
- (b) whether the Government is aware that such games are still available online;
- (c) if so, whether the Government has prepared a list of such games and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether there are appropriate provisions in the current Information and Technology Act to punish the administrators and intermediary institutions through which the said games reach its users;
- (e) if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) if not, the steps taken to amend the said Act?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI S.S. AHLUWALIA)

(a) to (f): There had been media reports about alleged suicides/ attempted suicides due to dangerous  online  game  like  Blue  Whale  and  Momo  Challenge  Game.  Section  79  of  the Information  Technology  Act,  2000  provides  for  certain  due  diligence  to  be  followed  by Intermediaries failing which they would be liable. The Information Technology (Intermediaries  Guidelines)  Rules,  2011  notified  under  section  79  of  the  Act, inter  alia , specifies  that  the  intermediaries  shall  inform  the  users  of  computer  resource  not  to  host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is grossly harmful, harms minor in any way; violates any law for the time being in force; etc. Law Enforcement Agencies monitor the social media sites and take action under existing legal provisions for removal of malicious contents/materials and prosecuting the offenders.

Government  has  issued  guidelines  for  Safe  and  Effective  Use  of  Internet  and  Digital Technologies to  all  Central  Board  of  Secondary  Education  (CBSE)  schools  vide  circular dated. 18.08.2017. Further, Government had issued advisories on online dangerous  games including    on    'Blue  Whale  Challenge  Game'  and  also    'Momo  Challenge  Game'. Minister, MWCD wrote to principals of all the schools to take steps to address the issue of online dangerous games.

MeitY and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) interacted with service providers of social media regarding the steps to be taken to prevent users from falling prey to harmful online games. Government has asked popular social media sites not to host any such dangerous online games and immediately remove the same as and when detected.

It  is  also  understood  that  there  is  no  formal  Application,  website  or  URL  available  for downloading/accessing  online  games  like  Blue  Whale  Challenge.    Hence,  there  is  little scope for using technical solutions to identify or block the dangerous online games.

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