The policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring an Open, Safe and Trusted and Accountable Internet for its users, including women and children.
The Government is committed to ensure that the Internet in India is free from any form of unlawful content or information, particularly vulgar and obscene content.
Legal frameworks to counter unlawful content on digital platforms
Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000
The IT Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021), together, have put in place a stringent framework to deal with unlawful and harmful content in the digital space.
It imposes clear obligations on intermediaries to ensure accountability.
The IT Act provides punishment for various cyber offences such as privacy violations (section 66E), publishing or transmitting obscene or sexually explicit content (sections 67, 67A, 67B).
It also empowers Police to investigate offences (section 78), enter public place and search and arrest suspected person (section 80).
IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
The IT Rules, 2021 cast due-diligence obligations on intermediaries, including social media intermediaries, and require them to implement these obligations effectively so as to prevent the hosting or transmission of unlawful content.
