Criticism of govt and PM is welcome but the issue is about the abuse n misuse of social media platforms – union minister Ravi Shankar

There have been lot of controversies over the alleged governmental  invasion in social media by way of curbing their constitutional rights to privacy n free expression, including apprehensions of possible victimisation in the near future through new social media guidelines.    
There have been lot of debate on this issue in the electronics and print media including social media platforms with Twitter and WhatsApp managements going to courts to seek due justice, terming this exercise, as an attempt to stifle and muzzle the voice of free expression on social media platforms with the govt ‘s outright criticism and denial of their charges terming them as biased and baseless accusing of imposing their dictates on the government while doing business in our country and earning handsomely. 

The union minister of communications, electronics and information n technology Ravi Shankar Prasad has unambiguously said that the govt permits criticism against the government and the prime minister but the issue is primarily of abuse and misuse of social media platforms. He out rightly  questions : 
What should I say when a woman complaints that her morphed image is being circulated on social media? or a mother complains that her daughter’s ex boyfriend is pushing out all intimate pictures. 
While defending the new IT guidelines on social media the minister  further  asks : Should we go to America to file a complaint ? 
The outspoken  union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was speaking to Hindustan Times the other day, to clarify that the guidelines framed for the social media companies in the IT ( Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 are aimed at preventing the abuse and misuse of social media while not affecting the users at all as being given to understand by their opponents. 
The minister Ravi Shankar Prasad catagorically said that let me assure all the users of Whatsapp that the ordinary users need not be worried at all as they should do as usual. We are basically seeking information about those messages which are already in public domain, who incite riots in the society, lead to mob lynching, attack on the sovereignty and security of the country, show women in bad light or exhibit child sexual abuse. 
The govt also seeks information on the original messages from across the border and then transmitted further by mischievous elements  in our country creating disturbances and anti India propaganda etc as was the case in the recently held Delhi riots in which several explosive messages were detected leading  to a riotous situation  said Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad while answering to the questions of HT correspondent Smriti Kak Ramachandran on Saturday. Ravi Shankar Prasad while elaborating on the trolls on social media said that even judges are not spared these days. They are trolled and defamed and fake news have become the order of the day. On a question about the guidelines of the new law likely to stifle voices that are critical of the government Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the govt is open to criticism even of the prime minister but would never tolerate a woman’s morphed image being circulated or judges trolled or an ex boyfriend pushing photographs intimate pictures in social media. This is intolerable n a law needs to set them right or strongly counter them. He added that the guidelines of the new Rules basically enjoin three things : Number one : appoint an Indian based grievance redressal officer whose address n phone number are known to us and those grievances must be addressed in 15 days time.

He said that they will have to submit a monthly report that grievances have been addressed. Secondly, have a compliance officer to deal with the rules n regulations n third, for nodal contact with the government, there must be a person. He questioned : Are we asking for the moon. 
It may be recalled that the Congress party and its leaders including various press organisations had been accusing the present government of NDA led by BJP of deliberately scuttling, stifling and muzzling the outspoken voice of dissent, free speech n writing of journalists who had been criticizing the govt on various burning issues especially on press freedom with slapping of serious charges of treason or sedition  against them in various parts of the country. The apex court had recently quashed charges of sedition against  senior outspoken journalist Vinod Dua lashing the authorities concerned for this arbitrary act. The court also restricted the Andhra Pradesh govt to restrain from taking any coercive  action or arrests against the two Telugu news channels viz ADB and Andhra Jyoti.

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