Under Modified IT Rules, Three Centre-Appointed Grievance Appellate Panels To Handle Social Media Users' Complaints

To investigate user complaints against social media platform rulings, the central government is recommending three grievance appellate committees (GACs) revealed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (IT) sources.

Discontentment about social media platforms' alleged arbitrary acts on flagged content and intermediaries not responding on time has been increasing. With the latest act, users will have a mechanism for appealing grievance rulings to the appellate panels, which will examine user complaints and judgments of the grievance officers of social media platforms. Consultations on the panels' varied modalities will begin in January.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for IT, had noted that lakhs of messages about unresolved customer concerns demonstrated the "broken" grievance redressal system being supplied by platforms while commenting on the revisions to IT regulations in October. While the government would work with social media businesses to achieve the shared aim of ensuring that the internet for Indians stays accessible, secure, and trustworthy, the minister had stated that it would not hesitate to act if the public interest is breached.

Overriding 'Casual' Responses Of Digital Platforms

Information technology (IT) regulations were modified in October to enable the creation of centre-appointed panels to resolve user complaints that often went ignored. These complaints were mostly about how social media platforms handled the users' concerns about content and other issues.

Now, the panels will be able to evaluate content moderation decisions made by social media companies like Meta and Twitter. They can also override decisions made by the major tech corporations regarding takedown or blocking requests. The action, according to the government, was necessary because of digital platforms' "casual" responses to user concerns, reported NDTV.

Additionally, the design, function, and handling of appeals and the many intricacies of the grievance appellate committees will be available for stakeholder consultation at the beginning of next year. The IT ministry has repeatedly stated to social media businesses that it is open to industry proposals for an effective self-regulatory mechanism, and it still is, but GACs will be implemented in the meantime, as per sources.

Modified IT Rules And GACs

Under the recently modified IT regulations, three grievance appellate bodies will be offered various sorts of appeals. These appeals would generally centre around grievances against sexually explicit material, false information, or incitement to religion.

Along with pornography, trademark infringements, false information, and material that might threaten national sovereignty, the government has added objectionable religious content (intended to incite violence) to the list of violations that users can report to social media platforms under the new rules.

According to sources in the IT ministry, appeals involving subjects other than those covered by the modified IT regulations would be sent to the relevant authority or tribunal. The GACs will serve as a signpost in these situations, directing complaints to the appropriate authority and tribunal while notifying the complainant that their complaint has been transferred to the concerned agency.

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