IT Rules 2021
Also called: Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 · Topic: Civil Society, Pressure Groups, NGOs and Self-help Groups · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The IT Rules 2021 are rules made by the government for the online world. Intermediaries are platforms that carry other people's content, such as social media sites. The rules make them appoint grievance officers to handle complaints and remove unlawful content. Digital news and OTT (streaming) platforms must follow an ethics code. Complaints go through a three-tier system: first self-regulation by the platform, then self-regulatory bodies, then oversight by the Union government.
Example
In 2021 the Bombay High Court stayed Rules 9(1) and 9(3), which tied digital news to the ethics code. A 2022 amendment added Grievance Appellate Committees, so users can appeal a platform's decision. In September 2024, in Kunal Kamra, the Bombay High Court struck down the government's Fact Check Unit, which had been added in 2023.
Don't confuse with
- News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA): a voluntary self-regulator for its member news channels. The IT Rules are binding government rules.
- Press Council of India: covers print media only, not online platforms.
Related concepts
- Fourth pillar of democracy
- Press Council of India
- Press and Registration of Periodicals Act 2023
- Prasar Bharati
- News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority