Rajeev Chandrasekhar reacts to Sitaram Yechury's ‘draconian’ tweet over new IT rules for ‘fake' news

Minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday once again dismissed concerns that the amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, would lead to censorship and lashed out at CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury for terming it a “draconian and anti-democratic” move.

Yechury earlier in the day launched an attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the government announced proposed amendments to the IT rules.

The government on Thursday announced that it will appoint a fact-checking unit to identify fake, false or misleading information, but several opposition leaders questioned the unit's governing mechanism, its sweeping powers in determining fake news and the right to appeal in such cases.

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“Modi govt's Executive amendments to the Rules of the IT Act is a direct attack on free speech.Requiring social media platforms to remove posts deemed 'fake news' by the PIB is a dangerous precedent. Censorship has no place in a democracy. Repeal these amendments,” the veteran CPI(M) leader tweeted.

“Sweeping powers to the Press Information Bureau to censor content posted on social media platforms is draconian, anti-democratic and unacceptable. Censorship and Democracy cannot coexist. Immediately scrap these amendments to IT Rules,” Yechury wrote in another tweet.

Hitting back, Chandrasekhar said Yechury's tweet was either deliberate misinformation or ignorance masquerading as a tweet.

Rejecting the allegations that it is a “draconian” move, Chandrasekhar tweeted, IT rules already hv provisions from Oct 2022, which mandate Social Media intermediaries to not carry certain times of content if they are to have legal immunity under Sec79 of IT act."

The minister added that social media intermediaries will now have to help them, “a new credible Fact checking unit for all Govt related content”.

“Social Media intermediaries will hv option to follow or disregard fact checking finding. If they chose to disregard fact checking, only consequence is that concerned dept can pursue legal remedy against Social media intermediary,” Chandrasekhar added.

Chandrasekhar asked Yechury to direct his “draconian” tweets at the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala which allegedly raided media channels.

'Editors Guild of India is deeply disturbed'

The Editors Guild of India is deeply disturbed by the government's move to police news on social media through a self-appointed fact-checking unit, the industry body said, describing the new rules as draconian and akin to censorship.

The amendments to the country's IT rules make it obligatory on platforms "not to publish, share or host fake, false or misleading information" about the government.