The Digital Media Code seeks to balance the priorities and interests of several stakeholders. The article explains the various aspects of the code.
Guidelines and ethics code
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India (MeitY) has announced the proposed Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code.
- The guidelines will cover social networks, digital media companies, and OTT platforms.
- The guidelines will also make the nation’s sovereign stance clear on matters of ethics and the protection of freedom of expression of creators, publishers, and digital platform companies.
- The guidelines and ethics code seek to balance the questions of accountability and grievance redressal that are posed by the citizens of the country.
Balancing many priorities
- The ministry’s announcement reveals an approach that is aligned with the thinking of today without imposing unreasonable boundaries on the innovation and expression.
- The guidelines are designed to carefully balance the many priorities and contexts of all stakeholders.
- With this move, India continues to deepen its position as a leader in digital policy and technological innovation.
- These guidelines have been intentionally designed so that India’s next-gen digital media innovators can propel the acceleration of value generation and inclusive empowerment of their local users.
- Global companies that have large user bases in the country can also align with a common framework that protects creators and consumers alike.
Grievance redressal mechanism
- The proposal has mechanisms that empower every social and digital media intermediary to self-enforce effective mechanisms to address complaints from users.
- With a special focus on protecting the online safety and dignity of users, especially women, the guidelines have prioritised affirmative addressal of the most serious issues that have affected India’s digital population.
- The digital platform companies are empowered to report the first originator of the grievance-causing information.
- This will ensure that liability is limited while the country’s laws can be fully and effectively enforced on the actual perpetrators.
Addressing the arbitrary censorship
- Guidelines provide users with an opportunity to be heard — a vital defence against the arbitrary censorship that several social media platforms are increasingly embracing globally.
- The need of the hour is for every country to have a body of clearly-defined policy that is consistent with the principles of their democracies.
- The country’s guidelines will ensure that unlawful information has clear boundary conditions, liability is defined, the process for enforcement of orders is transparent.
- The guidelines will also ensure that all social and digital media companies can rely on a consistent definition of the ethics code that protects all participants in the digital ecosystem.
Conclusion
This light-touch, empowering, and inclusive regulatory architecture is exactly what the country was hoping for, and India’s citizens will applaud this move as a foundational pillar towards an Atmanirbhar India.
