Congress opposes Centre's new IT rules draft, dubs it 'censorship'

The Congress on Thursday opposed the new IT rules draft and accused the Centre of muzzling the Internet and Censoring Online Content through PIB calling it the Narendra Modi governments definition of Fact CheckingAddressing a press conference here the partys Media department Chairman Pawan Khera said Bulldozing the Press is not new for the Modi government The popular term Godi Media is now ingrained in the psyche of most Indians and now this Government wants to make it Godi Social MediaThe Congress alleged that the Fact Checking Unit FCU of the PIB has remained a habitual offender in converting Truth to Fakery to save Modi governments imageThis the Congress leader said essentially means that PIBs Fact Checking Unit has become a judge in taking down content which might not suit Modi governments image Even the Editors Guild of India on Wednesday released a statement showing deep concern about this sly insertion in the Rules Objecting to the words in respect of any business of the Central Government they said that this will stifle legitimate criticism of the government and will have an adverse impact on the ability of the press to hold the government accountable He said the Congress has in the past raised several questions about the IT Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules 202 which have forgotten all the safeguards and protections accorded to social media by the landmark Shreya Singhal case This new addition to the already dire drastic and draconian rules have added one more layer of dictatorial power to crush the vibrant culture of discourse deliberation and dissent in IndiaAlso Read Lakhimpur Kheri violence Ashish Mishras crime grave heinous UP govt to SCThe Indian National Congress strongly condemns this surreptitious assault on free speech and vile censorship We demand that the new amendment in the Draft IT Rules be immediately withdrawn and that these rules be discussed threadbare in the forthcoming session of Parliament Khera addedBy extending the consultation period for the draft amendments to the IT Intermediary Guidelines amp Digital Media Ethics Code Rules 2021 till January 25 the Modi government has slyly added a provision that states that any news report which might be deemed fit as false and be checked as fake or false by the Fact Checking Units of the Press Information Bureau PIB can be taken down from the social mediaonline websitesOTT platforms by the Government he statedRule 31bv of the amended version of the Information Technology Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules 2021 states that platforms shall make reasonable efforts to cause the user of its computer resource not to post content that has been identified as fake or false by the fact check unit at Press Information Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or other agency authorised by the Central Government for fact checking or in respect of any business of the Central GovernmentThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever