Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, represented by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), have opposed the government’s proposed amendments to the intermediary guidelines and to regulate internet platforms in order to curb fake news, terming them “vague” and ones which can violate the privacy of users.
The stance of India’s two older telcos was in sharp contrast to that of rival Reliance Jio, which had defended the government saying it should ignore such protests. It had also said that platforms should not be allowed to become conduits of unlawful activities that incite hatred and spark terrorism and extremism.
But COAI, an industry association of mobile service providers, said the proposed changes “could be detrimental to citizens, democracy and free speech”.
In its response to amendments proposed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), COAI said that the “lack of clarity in relation to the obligations under the intermediary guidelines could lead to inadvertent noncompliance resulting in arbitrary prosecution”.
The vagueness of these guidelines “could also drive several intermediaries out of business in India and preclude the possibility of new intermediaries developing in the future”, said the industry body, in a letter to the government.
MeitY proposes to amend information technology (intermediaries guidelines) rules under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. The Act currently provides for a legal shield for technology intermediaries. In December, draft amendments to the IT Act rules, first notified in 2011, mandated companies to trace and report the origin of messages within 72 hours of receiving a complaint from law enforcement agencies.
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