Social media firms urge Karnataka to consult public on misinformation Bill

Social media cos urge Karnataka govt to conduct public consultation before tabling bill on misinformation in assembly

Global social media and internet intermediaries, including Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, OneWeb, and others, have urged the Karnataka government to hold public consultations before tabling the legislation intended to address hate speech and misinformation.

 

In two separate letters addressed to the state’s Minister of Information and Technology, Priyank Kharge, the Broadband India Forum (BIF) and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) have stated that the Karnataka government should release the draft legislation and formally initiate a consultation process.

 

“Early engagement with industry and civil society will help ensure that the proposed framework is balanced, practical, and reflective of the unique characteristics of online platforms. We remain committed to constructive collaboration and look forward to contributing to the development of effective and implementable regulations,” the IAMAI said in its letter on December 5. Business Standard has seen a copy of the letter. 

In a separate letter written to Kharge on December 6, the BIF has said that a consultative process before the legislation was introduced in the state assembly was “essential” as it pertains to a law that deals with “constitutional rights relating to free expression, privacy, and procedural fairness intersect with complex operational realities of digital platforms”.

 

In August, Kharge told Business Standard that the versions of the state’s proposed misinformation bill were not official as the bill was still “undergoing interdepartmental consultations”, following which it would be released for public consultations. 

Kharge had also said that any piece of information that is either being floated in the public domain or already exists and is creating chaos or misgivings in society will be labelled as misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, or fake news under the bill.

 

“There is going to be a group of experts who will do these classifications. There will be no government people on this panel. Only if, after the legal consultation, the experts determine that this piece of information is disruptive and attracts specific provisions of either state laws or the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, will we act,” Kharge had said.