US Tech Seeks Changes To India’s Proposed New IT Rules

Asia Internet Coalition representing several US tech giants — Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, Twitter, and Spotify – has urged India to make a series of changes to the proposed amendments to its new IT rules.

The proposed amendments to the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 “negate” the govt’s commitment to ease of doing business, the group warned, Techcrunch reported.

Earlier this month, India proposed several changes to the IT rules, including the creation of an appeals panel with the power to overturn social media companies' content moderation decisions.

In a submission to the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), the group urged New Delhi to allow the industry to adopt a self-regulatory grievance redressal mechanism as an alternative to the appellate grievance committee.

“Thus, the proposed amendments do not contain adequate restrictions to prevent the GAC from acting as a judicial or quasi-judicial body with wide-ranging authority.”

By identifying trends and gaps, an industry-led self-regulatory mechanism will allow businesses to adopt best practices and ensure long-term solutions," the group said.

US-India Business Council and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, two lobby groups, have also expressed concerns about the proposed government panel, according to Reuters.