The central government is considering a new law to dilute the liability evasion (safe harbour) of social media and tech companies in India. This law will help to fix the responsibility of social media companies, protect personal data of citizens and strengthen cyber security. It can be used in place of the existing IT Act.
According to the Safe Harbor rule of the IT Act, if the platform of these companies is used illegally, then the companies are not held legally responsible. When new IT Rules 2021 were issued to improve the situation, cases were filed against them in various courts. The Data Protection Act is also under consideration in 2019, but it did not take the form of a law. The Joint Committee of Parliament has suggested many changes in this. Thus the need for a new law was felt.
Most countries changed laws- From Britain, Australia to South Korea, tech companies are changing their laws.
- The European Union is exercising greater control over these companies through the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.
- If these laws are made, from January 1, 2024, companies will be held responsible for illegal work done by users.
- This law will apply to companies with more than 45 million users.