India's plan to tweak IT rules may widen rift between government & social media firms

Proposed amendments to the intermediary guidelines under the Information Technology Act will likely deepen the rift between the government and social media companies over removal of content and traceability of messages, experts said. It’s also likely to be challenged in court, they added.

The draft amendments to the rules under Section 79 aimed at curbing rumours and fake news over the internet and social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook were released for public consultation on Monday.

Companies with five million users will have to set up shop in India, leading to higher tax liability and greater financial scrutiny from the government, under the proposed changes.

Source: Economic Times