New Delhi: Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, provided details in the Parliament about the central government’s efforts to address the issues related to online gaming addiction and obscene content.
He restated the central government’s commitment to keep the internet a secure and reliable place for all users.
To ensure an open, safe, trusted and accountable internet for users of all ages, the Centre has tightened regulations to prevent online gaming addiction and limit access to obscene or pornographic content.
These actions are intended to address a number of socioeconomic issues brought on by these digital platforms and were implemented under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules)
Regulation for Online Gaming
Recognizing the risks associated with online gaming, such as addiction and financial exploitation, the government has amended the IT Rules which impose specific obligations on online gaming intermediaries, as well as social media platforms, to prevent the hosting, storage, or publication of unlawful content.
According to the rules, intermediaries must promptly delete any content that is thought to be harmful to minors, connected to money laundering, or that promotes gambling.
It should be understood that, in accordance with the IT Rules, anyone who receives, stores, or transmits electronic records on behalf of another individual is regarded as an intermediary. This encompasses organizations such as telecom, internet service providers, online marketplaces, search engines, and social media platforms.
However, the legislation also empowers authorities to block links or content that endanger public order, national security, or sovereignty.
According to Union Minister Vaishnaw, the IT Ministry issued 1,298 blocking orders pertaining to online gambling, gaming and betting websites, including mobile applications, between 2022 and 2024.
Regulations on Online Obscene Content
The Centre has stepped up its efforts to stop the spread of pornographic or obscene content online.
Strict penalties are outlined in the IT Act for publishing or disseminating pornographic content, especially that which shows children engaging in sexually explicit behaviour.
The legislation further mandates that social media intermediaries exercise due diligence and the failure to comply will result in the loss of their legal immunity.
According to the rules, messaging platforms that are classified as significant social media intermediaries must be able to identify the original creator of messages containing sexually explicit content, child sexual abuse material, or rape in order to assist law enforcement.
Additionally, it states that any such content must be removed by the intermediaries within 24 hours.
Enforcement and Awareness Initiatives
The Union Minister further highlighted several initiatives by the centre:
- The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal enables citizens to report cybercrimes, with a focus on crimes against children.
- The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) facilitates nationwide efforts to combat cybercrime.
- Financial assistance has been provided to states and Union Territories under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme for setting up cyber forensic labs and training law enforcement personnel.
- Authorities have regularly blocked child sexual abuse material (CSAM) websites, relying on lists from Interpol and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
- The Internet Watch Foundation (UK) and Project Arachnid (Canada) have identified CSAM websites, and Internet service providers (ISPs) have been instructed to implement parental control filters and dynamically block these websites.
- To inform the public about cybercrimes, awareness campaigns have been started, including radio broadcasts and social media campaigns through CyberDost.
- The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), US, and the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to exchange tipline reports on online child exploitation content.
It should be also noted that public film screenings are still subject to Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) regulations, which guarantee that adult content is properly categorized.
Similarly, video or streaming platforms commonly known as, OTT, need to adhere to a code of ethics that covers content classification and age verification procedures.
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