Two months after Meta fiasco, Meity advisory claims public order at risk

New Delhi: India has asked social media companies to keep a closer watch on misleading and manipulated content online, as the government steps up efforts to prevent material that could disrupt public order.

In an advisory issued on Thursday, the ministry of electronics and information technology (Meity) urged platforms to exercise "enhanced diligence" when dealing with content that is false, altered or shared without proper context. The ministry said such posts can mislead people, create confusion and contribute to law-and-order concerns.

“Certain information, including false, misleading, manipulated or out-of-context content, is being circulated through various social media platforms in relation to ongoing public events and developments. Such content, particularly when presented as current or authentic information, has the potential to cause public confusion, create apprehension, disturb public order and social tranquillity, and contribute to law-and-order concerns,” the advisory read.

The advisory specifically pointed to old photos and videos being recirculated as current events, AI-generated content, impersonation of public officials and material that could incite violence. Meity did not say what prompted the advisory.

The move comes at a time of public unrest in the national capital, with protests calling for the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and about two months after a public dispute between the government and Meta over the temporary removal of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While legal experts said the advisory does not create new obligations, many in the industry see it as another sign of the government's growing scrutiny of social media platforms.

The advisory, interestingly, comes amid widespread public protests in the capital city demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, though the latter was not directly attributed or acknowledged by Meity's advisory.

Advisory comes amid broader regulatory push

An official with knowledge of the matter told Mint, requesting anonymity, that Meity’s Thursday advisory “is in continuation of India’s efforts to crack down on the state of compliance with India’s IT Act, 2000, the Intermediary Rules, 2021, and all other amendments.” An email from Mint seeking clarification on the advisory did not receive an immediate response from Meity.

The advisory comes after Meity, on 30 March, published draft amendments to the Intermediary Rules, 2021—part of which stated that any advisory from the ministry would henceforth be treated as compulsory for compliance. While the amendment faced pushback over its proposal to hold publishers responsible for independent individuals on social media platforms, it has not yet been notified—meaning Thursday’s advisory remained a statutory caution from the ministry, not a binding law.

India, however, saw a sustained standoff between Meta Platforms and New Delhi at the start of August, when a video by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taken down by Facebook for four hours at the end of July, leading to calls for an apology from Meta chief, Mark Zuckerberg. The debacle led to an India visit by Meta’s global affairs chief, Joel Kaplan, and a host of notices issued to Meta by Meity on child sexual abuse material.

Legal and policy consultants, on this note, reiterated that Thursday’s advisory underlined that the core law governing compliance remains India’s IT Act, 2000, and does not constitute a separate notice against all intermediaries in India.

“This is not restricted to merely synthetically generated information (AI content), but extends to a wider set of content within IT rules,” said Dhruv Garg, partner at policy think-tank, India Governance and Policy Project. Garg added further that the advisory is “a broad reiteration of what already exists in Intermediary Guidelines, 2021 and its amendments.”

“There is use of some phrases such as 'timely cooperation' and 'priority', which may not be per se present in IT Rules, 2021. But, the obligation for the intermediaries that is relevant for enforcement is the notified text in the enacted statute and the rules under it, i.e. the already existing laws, and not Thursday’s advisory,” he said.

About the Author

Shouvik has been tracking the rise and shifts of India’s technology ecosystem for over a decade, across print, broadcast and web-first platforms. He's been a tinkerer of machines and PCs since childhood, a habit he was thrilled to convert into his profession. This has led him to fascinating experiences of technologies around the world, which is what keeps him hooked to his job.<br><br>Shouvik likes to believe that he is one of the few technology journalists in India who can also code. He has also been writing about the rise of AI well before it became a household name, and has met some of the most fascinating people over the years through his work.<br><br>Shouvik writes about AI, Big Tech, data centres, electronics, semiconductors, cybersecurity, gaming, cryptocurrencies, and consumer technologies. He is most fond of the stories he has written during his time here at Mint, for which he also writes 'Transformer', a weekly technology newsletter, and hosts 'Techcetra', a weekly technology podcast.<br><br>Outside of work, Shouvik spends most of his time with Pixel, whom he believes is the world's best dog. He is also an avid reader, a toy collector, a gamer and a frequent traveller.

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