Parliament panel recommends stricter rules for data protection in Bill

Social media platforms that are not intermediaries should be classified as publishers, it has reportedly said.

Social media platforms that are not intermediaries should be classified as publishers, the Joint Parliamentary Committee has recommended, multiple news reports said on Wednesday.

The committee on the personal data protection Bill also recommended setting up an independent group like the Press Council of India to regulate social media, according to The Economic Times and Times of India.

It said that the government take steps to ensure a mirror copy of Indians’ personal data be stored in the country. Other suggestions include considering an alternative to the electronic SWIFT mechanism of transferring funds between countries and certifying integrity of hardware equipment.

According to the Economic Times, the committee has recommended that personal and non-personal data both be handled by the proposed bill.