MeitY has proposed amendments to the IT Rules, 2021, which may require intermediaries to block access to social media posts and even news stories themselves, if the PIB terms them as “fake” or “false”.
News publishers were sent notices under the IT Rules, even after major parts of the IT Rules were stayed. The MIB said that news publishers have only offered this information “voluntarily”, i.e. that there is no compulsion to respond to them.
IFF filed an RTI Application to find out whether the MIB has issued notices for information to news publishers, and to which publishers. The MIB has admitted that it has indeed issued two such notices, and that more than two thousand publishers have responded to these notices!
This week, the Union cabinet saw a major reshuffle. This included new ministers for MEITY, MOC, and MIB. We wrote to the new ministers, welcoming them to their new role and highlighting key areas that need to be addressed.