Govt has its way on social media grievance redress; GACs to be formed

This comes with MeitY notifying on Friday the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2022, after five months of deliberations

Grievance appellate committees (GACs) to redress content-related complaints of social-media users will be a reality despite the objections of big tech firms.

This comes with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notifying on Friday the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2022, after five months of deliberations.

The IT rules, 2021, require significant social media intermediaries — platforms with more than 5 million users — to appoint a resident grievance officer to decide on content-related complaints. In June, the MeitY proposed a GAC, which could override the decisions of grievance officers.

In June, when the draft proposals