New Delhi: The responsibility for content put out on social media platforms and websites should be “clearly defined”, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said today.
The minister further said changes in technology and internet over the last few decades requires fundamental rethink in the governance structure of the internet.
“The way content is created, the way content is consumed, the way the internet is accessed. The languages in which the internet is accessed, the machines, the modes in which the internet is accessed, everything has changed. So, with these fundamental changes, we certainly need a fundamental rethink of the entire governance structure of the internet,” Mr Vaishnaw said inaugurating the first India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF 2021).
Noting that India is taking a lead in this regard, Mr Vaishnaw said the nation being one of the largest users of the internet has to be a key stakeholder in the way governance of the internet is defined all over the world.
The minister asked forum participants to discuss and deliberate over key issues including responsibility for content, in an era where content is being created and consumed through mobile devices.
Drawing attention to this “important” aspect, the minister observed that youngsters may easily be tempted to believe the written word.
“So, who takes responsibility for that content? Whether that content is on a social media platform or on a website, it should be clearly defined, so that there is a responsibility for the written word on somebody, so that it becomes part of the society as an acceptable form,” he said.
Mr Vaishnaw also called for a discussion on the ‘social impact of disruptions in business models” with the advent of e-commerce.
Mr Vaishnaw said with systems being increasingly driven by digital technology and the internet, cybersecurity has become an important issue.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar emphasised that the future of the global internet must be led by India’s internet ecosystem and innovation capabilities.
The future of the internet has to be “carefully planned” given that a billion Indian users would be online in a few years.
