Misinformation—false information spread regardless of intent—is rampant across popular social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
The move led to an outcry, largely from conservatives as well as civil libertarians about free speech and the rights of social media companies to regulate what has become what many consider the new public square.
Under the rules, large social media companies must appoint Indian citizens to a compliance role, remove content within 36 hours of legal notice and also set up system to respond to complaints, according toThese restrictions give the government more power, in some cases, to dictate what can and cannot be circulated on digital platforms in the country.
Separately, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, has sued the Indian government, which is looking to trace its users, who use encrypted messages. The government wants to have the ability to identify people who"credibly accused of wrong doing,” according to. Although the Indian government said it will respond to the lawsuit, it hasn’t done so yet.
“India is a big cautionary tale for how we have to be really careful of the most well-intentioned regulatory power,” said David Greene, senior staff attorney and civil liberties director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation . “We used to say, ‘well that's not a threat to democratic societies.’ I don't think we can say that anymore, India's a democratic society.
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