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The Information & Broadcasting Ministry on Thursday said that the Central government has notified the new rules under which OTT players and digital news publishers will need to set up a grievance redressal mechanism and furnish necessary information to the government.
The Central Government notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 on Thursday.
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The new rules on e-comm and digital economy being discussed at the WTO aim to curtail the power of governments to regulate“The Government of India has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 on March 25,2021. Part III of the rules pertains to digital news publishers and publishers of online curated content (OTT players). The rules require the publishers to adhere to the Code of Ethics, establish a grievance redressal mechanism and furnish information to the Government of India,” the I&B Ministry said.
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Minister, however, says reasonable curbs, freedom of expression go hand in handEarlier this month the Ministry held meetings with OTT players and digital news publishers on the news rules.
According to the code of ethics, OTT players will need to self-classify content on their platforms according to five age-based categories. These include U (Universal), U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A (Adult). They are required to implement parental locks for content classified as U/A 13+ or higher, and reliable age-verification mechanisms for content classified as “A”.
A three-tier grievance redressal mechanism will also kick in , of which the government said the first two tiers are geared towards self-regulation.
OTT players will need to have grievance redressal officers who will need to ensure that grievances regarding content on their platforms are addressed within 15 days. As per the second tier, the complainant if dissatisfied , can then then take the grievance up to a self-regulatory body ,which will be chaired by a retired judge or an eminent person and registered with the I&B Ministry.
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The new IT Rules must come into force as early as possibleFinally at the third-tier the government’s oversight mechanism will kick-in and complaints will be addressed by the inter-departmental committee.
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