Lok Sabha Question No. 2853 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-10
Subject: Monitoring of Social Media Users
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: P. Ravindhranath

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2853

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 10.07.2019

## MONITORING OF SOCIAL MEDIA USERS

## 2853.    SHRI P. PAVEENDRANATH KUMAR:

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

- (a) whether the Government has instituted any mechanism to monitor social media users who are indulging in spreading rumours with the intention of creating unrest among communities;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the total number of reported cases registered by the Government during each of the last three years, State/UT-wise; and
- (c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to prevent such kind of activities in future?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) and  (b): Cyber  space  is  a  complex  environment  of  people,  software,  hardware  and  services  on  the Internet. With a borderless cyberspace coupled with the possibility of instant communication and anonymity, the  potential  for  circulation  of  misinformation  and  malicious  content  is  a  global  issue.  Governmentis committed to freedom of speech and expression and privacy of its citizens as enshrined in the constitution of India.

Government does not monitor content appearing on internet. Moreover, 'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects  as  per  the  Constitution  of  India  and  States  are  primarily  responsible  for  prevention,  detection  and investigation of cybercrimes through their law enforcement machinery. The Law Enforcement Agencies take legal action against the cyber-crime offenders as per the provisions of applicable laws.

The social media sites are Intermediaries under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. The IT Act has provisions  for  removal  of  objectionable  online  content.    Section  79  of  the  Act  and  The  Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2011 require that the Intermediaries shall observe due diligence while discharging their duties and shall inform the users of computer resources not to host, display, upload, modify,  publish,  transmit,  update  or  share  any  information  that  is,  inter  alia,  grossly  harmful,  harassing, defamatory, libellous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically objectionable, disparaging, or otherwise unlawful in any manner.   They are also expected to remove any unlawful activity relatable to Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India as and when brought to their knowledge either through a court order or through a notice by appropriate government or its agency.

- (c):    Government  has  taken  several  steps  to  address  the  challenges  of  rumors  spreading  via  social  media platforms with the intention of creating unrest among communities. These, inter alia , include:
-  Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) took note of media reports about spread of fake news, misinformation/disinformation on Internet particularly using WhatsApp platform and issued a notice to WhatsApp on 3.7.2018. In their response, WhatsApp conveyed a number of steps taken by them to address the issue of fake news propagated using their platform.
-  Ministry of Home affairs (MHA) has issued a number of  advisories which includes advisory on untoward incidents  in  the  name  of  protection  of  cows  dated  09.08.2016,  advisory  on  cyber  crime  prevention  and control dated 13.01.2018 and  also an advisory on incidents of lynching by mobs in some States fueled by rumors of lifting/kidnapping of children dated 04.07.2018.
-  MeitY and MHA as well as Police are in regular touch with various social media platforms to effectively address the issue of removal of objectionable content.
-  MeitY  through  a  program,  namely,  Information  Security  Education  &  Awareness  (ISEA),  has  been highlighting  the  importance  of  following  the  ethics  while  using  Internet  and  advice  not  to  share rumours/fake news. A dedicated website for information security awareness (https://www.infosecawareness.in) has also been set up where a module on fake news have been provided.

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