Parliamentary panel on IT begins meeting, being briefed by representatives of social media platforms
New Delhi, August 3
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology began its meeting here today and is hearing views of Social and Digital Media Platforms on the subject 'Social and Digital platforms and their regulation'.
The panel is headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
According to the agenda of the meeting, representatives of Snapchat, Google, X (formerly Twitter), Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram) and YouTube will brief the committee on the subject being examined by it.
Home Secretary Govind Mohan is among senior officials present during the meeting.
The committee had held two meetings last month and deliberated on 'Self Reliance in Telecom Manufacturing Sector'. It was also briefed by officials of Information and Broadcasting Ministry on 'Review of functioning of Prasar Bharati Organization'.
Meta had said on July 31 that it is in touch with the concerned agencies and is cooperating with them after the Cybercrime police in Hyderabad registered cases against operators of several Facebook and Instagram accounts and parent company Meta's India head over allegedly morphed and objectionable content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led NEET paper leak agitation,
"We are in touch with the concerned agencies and are cooperating with them to resolve the matter," a Meta spokesperson said.
An FIR had been registered on the basis of a complaint.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The issue with Meta targeting PM Modi during NEET paper leak protests is concerning. But let's not forget that these platforms also helped spread awareness about the paper leak. Need balanced regulation, not censorship.
Every time this committee meets, they talk about regulation but nothing concrete comes out. Meanwhile, our youth is being misled by fake news on these apps. Need to see action, not just meetings.
As someone who works in tech, I think we need to be careful with how we regulate these platforms. Overregulation could stifle innovation and free speech. But yes, clear guidelines are needed for harmful content.
The cockroach Janta party incident showed how these platforms can be misused to target leaders. Good that the government is taking this seriously. But we must ensure small creators aren't unfairly targeted in the process.
Interesting that they are including Home Secretary in these meetings. Suggests a security-focused approach to regulation. Hope they also address data privacy and user protection issues thoroughly.
Waise bhi in platforms ke algorithms aise bhi divisive content ko boost karte hain. Regulation is needed, but it should be transparent and apply equally to all parties. Otherwise it will look like selective targeting. 🤔