Lok Sabha Question No. 3545 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-22
Subject: Harassment and Trolling on Social Media Platforms
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Manickam Tagore B

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3545

TO BE ANSWERED ON:   22.3.2023

## HARASSMENT AND TROLLING ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

## 3545.   SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B.:

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

(a) whether the Government is aware of the growing instances of harassment and trolling on social media platforms by radicals;

(b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  action  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  the same and if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the Government acknowledges that social media platforms are increasingly being used by some political parties to propagate an agenda;

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(e) the manner in which the Government is curbing such activities?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

(a) to (e): The policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring an Open, Safe and Trusted and Accountable Internet for its users. With the expansion of the Internet and more and more Indians coming online, the number of Indians exposed to misuse of social media platforms, including for harassment and trolling, has also grown.

To help achieve this aim, the Central Government, in exercise of powers conferred by the Information  Technology  Act,  2000,  has  made  the  Information  Technology  (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. These rules cast specific obligation on  intermediaries,  including  social  media  intermediaries,  to  observe  due  diligence  and provide that if they fail to observe such due diligence, they shall no longer be exempt from their liability under law for third-party information or data or communication link hosted by them. Such due diligence includes the following:

- (i) An intermediary shall make reasonable efforts to cause its user not to host, display, publish, transmit or share any information that is insulting or harassing on the basis of gender, racially or ethnically objectionable or harmful to child, or which impersonates another  person  or  intentionally  communicates  any  misinformation  or  information which is patently false and untrue or misleading in nature, or which violates any law for the time being in force.
- (ii) The  intermediary  shall  not  host,  store  or  publish  unlawful  information  prohibited under law for the time being in force, on a voluntary basis on violation of the above, and on actual knowledge upon receipt of a grievance or court order or notice from the appropriate government or its agency.
- (iii) In case the intermediary is a significant social media intermediary ( i.e., a social media intermediary  having  more  than  50  lakh  registered  users  in  India),  to  additionally observe due diligence in terms of appointing a Chief Compliance Officer and a nodal contact person for 24x7 coordination with law enforcement agencies.

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