Parliamentary panel holds meet with FB, Google over prevention of misuse of social, online news media platforms

Senior officials from Facebook and Google appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information and Technology (IT) on Tuesday to put forth their views on 'safeguarding citizens rights and prevention of misuse of social and online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space'.

The committee meeting began under the chairmanship of Congress leader Dr Shashi Tharoor. Facebook India Associate General Counsel Namrata Singh and the company's Director of Public Policy Shivnath Thukral attended the meeting and discussed several issues.

Earlier, Facebook officials, in their response to the committee, had said, that the officers could not appear before the committee as the company's rules prohibit officials to attend any meeting in person during the period of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Facebook officials decided to appear online. But panel chairman Shashi Tharoor later turned down Facebook's request to attend the meeting virtually.

On June 20, India's permanent mission at the United Nations had clarified that India's new IT rules are "designed to empower ordinary users of social media" and that they were finalised after the government held broad consultations with civil society and other stakeholders in 2018.

The Central government has framed the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 ('new IT Rules') and notified the same on February 25, 2021. The Rules have come into effect from May 26, 2021.

(ANI)

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