Print, digital self-regulatory news association (PADMA) gets government’s approval

Print, digital self-regulatory news association(PADMA) gets government’s approval

Subject : Governance

Context:

• The government has approved the Print and Digital Media Association (PADMA) as a self-regulatory body for publishers of news and current affairs across the country.

More about Print, digital self-regulatory news association(PADMA)

• The Print and Digital Media Association (PADMA) will be a self-regulatory body for publishers of news and current affairs across the country.
• The organization consists of 47 digital news publishers on board  and will look at grievances related to digital media news content on their platforms.
• The organization will be headed by former HC Judge Mool Chand Garg and have part-time members from Prasar Bharati Ashok Kumar Tandon and journalist Manoj Kumar Mishra as members.
• PDMA shall perform functions laid down in the sub rules (4) and (5) of rule 12 for the purpose of redressing grievances related to the code of ethics under the rules.
• The body will also ensure that the member publishers have agreed to adhere to the provisions of the rules, including furnishing the requisite information under rule 18,
• Rule 12 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, states that self-regulatory bodies will oversee and ensure adherence by the publisher to the code of ethics; provide guidance to publishers on aspects of the code of ethics; address grievances which have not been resolved by publishers within 15 days; hear appeals filed by the complainant against the decision of publishers; issue such guidance or advisories to such publishers for ensuring compliance to the code of ethics

What is Information Technology Rules, 2021

• IT Rules 2021 were released under section 87 of the IT Act, 2000 for Social-Media, Digital Media, and OTT platforms.
• It covers digitized content that can be transmitted over the internet or computer networks and includes intermediaries such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.
• It also includes publishers of news and current affairs content and also curators of such content over online papers, news portals, news agencies and news aggregators.
• However, e-papers are not covered because print media comes under the purview of the Press Council of India.Newspapers and TV news channels are governed under the Press Council of India Act, 1978 and Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995 respectively.
• Through the act the digital media is brought under the ambit of Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 which gives takedown powers to the government.
• The section allows the Centre to block public access to an intermediary in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognisable offence relating to above”.
• It also deprives the intermediaries of their “safe harbour protections under Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000.
• Safe Harbour provisions protect the intermediaries from liability for the acts of third parties who use their infrastructure for their own purposes.
• The act provides for three Tier Check Structure part III of the rules imposes three-tier complaints and adjudication structure on publishers.
  • Level I: Self-regulation.
  • Level II: Industry regulatory body headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court  and High Court with additional members from a panel approved by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
  • Level III: Oversight mechanism that includes an inter ministerial committee with the authority to block access to content, which can also take suo moto cognisance of an issue and any grievance flagged by the Ministry.
• Social media companies are needed to appoint Content Moderation Officers who will be responsible for complying with content moderation orders.
• The New rules make it mandatory for platforms such as WhatsApp to aid in identifying the originator of unlawfull messages.
• The rules mandate the creation of a grievance redressal portal as the central repository for receiving and processing all grievances.
• Intermediaries are required to act on certain kinds of violations within 24 hours, and on all concerns of a complainant within 15 days.
• The rules also hold that Information Disclosure to Competent Authorities may demand pertinent information for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of crimes.However, it excludes the intermediary from having to disclose the content of the personal messages.
• The Ministry has approved nine self-regulatory bodies since May 2021 under rule 12 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. They include DIGIPUB News India Foundation, Confederation of Online Media (lndia), and NBF- Professional News Broadcasting Standards Authority etc.