In Short
- NIA to take action against spreaders of Khalistani and anti-national content
- Joint plan with other agencies to curb provocative material on social media
- Platforms must monitor, report actions against misleading content regularly
After blocking online videos of Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, gangster Goldie Brar and other anti-national elements, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is preparing for tougher action against those who help such content go viral.
According to official sources, the anti-terror agency is now working on a joint strategy with other intelligence agencies to tackle the spread of provocative and misleading material online. As part of this plan, social media platforms will be formally informed of their responsibilities under the new framework.
Under the proposed joint policy, social media platforms will be required to actively monitor and curb the circulation of anti-national and misleading content through their internal mechanisms. Additionally, they will need to regularly update the government on the action taken against such material at their end.
Officials said the plan also covers content uploaded from abroad. Action will be taken under Indian law not only against those posting such content from outside India but also against individuals and networks that circulate it within the country.
A strategy to block such videos has already been put in place. Now, the focus is on taking strong legal action against those who amplify or share them.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Communications have held several high-level meetings to finalise this coordinated response.
This story was originally published in indiatoday.in. Read the full story here.
