Stricter laws needed for curbing vulgarity on social media: Vaishnaw

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said there is a need to make existing laws more stringent to curb vulgar content on social media platforms.

In the Lok Sabha, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said the Parliamentary Standing Committee should take up the issue and also called for a consensus to frame more strict laws in this regard.

Earlier, there were editorial checks and it was decided whether something was right or wrong but those checks have ended. Today, social media is a platform for freedom of press but it is uncontrolled and there is vulgar content, the minister said during the Question Hour.

There is a need to make existing laws more stringent laws to curb vulgar content on social media platforms, Vaishnaw said amid din in the House.

He was responding to questions by BJP member Arun Govil about existing mechanisms to check telecast of vulgar and sex-related content through social media platforms illegally and whether the government proposes to make the existing laws more stringent keeping in view the fact that the said laws are not much effective to stop misuse of these platforms.