Strengthening Digital Laws: A Call for Action

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasizes the need for more stringent laws to curb vulgar content on social media. Addressing Lok Sabha, he highlighted the necessity of revisiting existing laws and encouraged the Parliamentary Standing Committee to develop a consensus on stricter regulations.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has stressed the urgent need for tightening existing legislation to tackle the proliferation of vulgar content on social media platforms. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the Information and Broadcasting Minister highlighted the necessity of revisiting current laws to address these issues effectively.

Vaishnaw called upon the Parliamentary Standing Committee to deliberate on the matter and urged members to reach a consensus on implementing stricter laws. He noted the absence of editorial checks which traditionally filtered content, emphasizing that social media has become a platform of unrestrained freedom of expression.

The government has addressed this through the IT Rules, 2021, which mandate ethical guidelines for online content publishers. The minister revealed that the government has already blocked 18 OTT platforms for obscene content, and will continue to enforce obligations on intermediary platforms to regulate harmful content effectively.

(With inputs from agencies.)