Expressing concern over the notification of Information Technology (IG&DM Ethics Code) Rules 2021, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) urged the Centre to put the rules in abeyance and conduct meaningful consultation with all stakeholders.
In a statement, EGI said the Rules fundamentally alter how publishers of news operate over the Internet and have the potential to seriously undermine media freedom. It said the rules empower the Centre to block, delete, or modify published news without any judicial oversight and mandate all publishers to establish a grievance redressal mechanism.
EGI asserted that in the name of reining an unfettered social media it “cannot overwhelm constitutional safeguards for free media that has been the cornerstone of our democracy.”