Facebook, Twitter, Google are yet to comply with the new social media laws

With the latest Intermediary Guidelines, social media platforms are now expected, and the future remains unclear for companies who are yet to comply with Indian government regulations.

Organizations had been granted a three-month deadline by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to accept guidance by 25th May. On 25th February 2021, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules) was informed.

If social media sites do not follow the rules, they risk losing their role as intermediaries, as well as their status and protections.

After media reports indicated that it would be a possibility, some social media users were concerned that Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other sites could be blocked in India beginning on 26th May.

The apps and websites, on the other hand, continue to function, and neither the businesses nor the government have stated that the services will be banned.

However, the rules are yet to be followed by major companies such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

"We intend to meet the IT rules' requirements and continue to address a couple of the matters that require further government involvement. We are working to incorporate operating procedures and boost efficiencies in accordance with the IT Rules. Facebook is dedicated to people's right to express themselves openly and anonymously on our website" said a Facebook spokesperson.

When law enforcement officials demand it, the latest rules networks track down the "first originator" of a piece of content. This means that messaging systems like WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, would have to break end-to-end encryption.

"Requiring messaging applications to "trace" chats is akin to requiring us to maintain a fingerprint of any single message received on WhatsApp, which will compromise end-to-end security and radically violate people's right to privacy. We've repeatedly sided with civil society and academics around the world in resisting requirements that would jeopardise our users' privacy" said a WhatsApp representative.

"Meanwhile, we will continue to work with the Indian government on realistic ways to keep people safe, including responding to legitimate legal demands for the information we have," the representative said.

The below are some of the latest guidelines' features:

– Internet giants (social media) must designate a chief compliance officer to provide a nodal contact person who can communicate with law enforcement authorities 24/7.

– Internet giants cannot host or store content that is illegal in the light of India's sovereignty, dignity, slander, or incitement to offence, and they must remove it.

– If a court or government deems any material to be obscene, social media firm must remove it within 36 hours; 24 hours if the content is sexually offensive.