LI Network
Published on: 14 April 2023 at 11:36 IST
The government Notifies about changes that have been made to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules of 2021 on April 6, 2023.
The Indian Government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has announced modifications to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules of 2021. The amendments target online gaming and the dissemination of false or misleading information about government activities.
The goal is to ensure that online gaming and social media intermediaries exercise greater diligence regarding online games and fake information concerning government activities.
The rules will prohibit all online games and websites that involve gambling, including advertising or any other presence.
Under the amended rules, intermediaries must make a reasonable effort not to host, publish, or share any online game that could harm users or that has not been authorized by an online gaming self-regulatory body/bodies appointed by the Central Government.
Furthermore, the intermediary must ensure that no advertising or promotion of an online game that is not permissible is hosted on its platform.
The modified rules also require intermediaries not to publish, share or host any fake, false, or misleading information related to any Central Government business. Such information will be identified by the Fact Check Unit of the Central Government.
It is important to note that the existing IT rules already required intermediaries to make reasonable efforts not to host, publish, or share any information that is blatantly false, untrue or misleading in nature.
