New IT Rules Threatening Creative Freedom
Now Netflix, Hotstar, and similar platforms are under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s ambit as a new set of guidelines for Social Media and OTT (Over-The-Top) platforms have been issued by the centre. Major highlights of the new rules include age-based content classification, parental locks for content restricted for above 13 kids, and a 3-tier grievance addressing mechanism.
These rules are supposedly created in the wake of the recent protests against an amazon prime web series ‘Tandav’ for hurting the religious sentiments of the people. The new rules were formed after citing powers provided to the central government under Section 87 of the Information and Technology (IT) Act, 2000.
What is the three-tier grievance addressing mechanism?
First-tier: It will consist of an internal grievance officer for each OTT platform. The officer will need to address complaints by the user within 15 days. The unresolved complaints will be forwarded to the second tier.
Second-tier: Headed by a retired Supreme Court or High Court Judge, the second-tier will be a self-regulatory body representing various digital platforms.
Third-tier: An inter-departmental committee will be formed by the MIB (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) which will keep a close check on OTT platforms ensuring they follow the specified guidelines.
Some experts believe that these guidelines are threatening the personal liberty of content creators and company executives as they can face harsher criminal penalties for violating the rules. While some believe that putting a reasonable restriction on free speech has become necessary.