IT Rules likely to be amended to curb fake news and defamation

The government is considering major amendments to the IT Rules 2021 to restrict obscene, defamatory or misleading digital content and introduce stricter content ratings and penalties for violations

The government is likely to amend the Information Technology (IT) Rules of 2021 to add provisions that ban the dissemination of digital content that contains “obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false, suggestive innuendos, or half-truths,” sources said. 

These amendments are likely to be made under Part 3 of the IT Rules. They have proposed that digital content should not contain anything that is against good taste or decency, derides any race, caste, colour, creed, or nationality, tends to incite people to commit crime, engage in violence or glorifies violence. 

Part 3 of the IT Rules covers content shown to users through digital