Information Technology Act

Deepfake rules gather steam: The challenge lies in implementation

The government has just published updated draft amendments to the IT Rules of 2021, with several measures to check deepfakes

Only joint secretaries, DIGs can now issue notices to social media firms

Meity amends IT Rules 2021; from November 1, only senior officers can flag unlawful content to intermediaries, with orders subject to monthly review at top level

Social media can't be left in anarchic freedom: K'taka HC quashes X's plea

The Karnataka HC dismissed X's plea against the Sahyog portal, calling it a public-good mechanism, noting that social media cannot be left in unregulated

X can't claim right to free speech, says Centre to Karnataka High Court

Centre tells Karnataka HC that X is merely a notice board and cannot invoke Article 19; court to hear further arguments on IT Rules and intermediary liability

Govt denies Reuters takedown order; Elon Musk's X insists it happened

X says blocking done on government request, while the IT ministry claims no such request was made

Need central-level uniform regulation for gaming sector: Winzo Cofounder

Currently, several states have their own versions of rules for the gaming sector in the absence of a central government-determined regulation

'Harms our business model': X sues Centre for using IT Act to block content

X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, stated that arbitrary blocking orders pose a threat to its business model, which depends on users sharing lawful information

SC to hear petition against blocking social media content without notice

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea over issue of blocking of social media accounts or content without an opportunity to be heard to the creator or originator. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih sought Centre's response on the petition for quashing Rule 16 of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009. The bench issued notice on the plea. Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for petitioner Software Freedom Law Center, said no notice was given to the "originator" of the information and a notice was only sent to platforms like X. "The challenge is not that the government does not have the power to take down information, but while taking down the information, notice should be given to the person who has put that information in the public domain," she said. The plea, filed through advocate Paras Nath Singh, challenged the validity of certain provisions of the 2009 Rules.

FPI buying in Indian IT rises to highest since 2022 in July: NSDL data

Prior to this, the IT sector was divided into software, services and hardware technology

First draft of new I-T law to be prepared by tax dept panel: Revenue Secy

The first draft of a new simplified income tax law, as proposed in the Budget, will be prepared by an internal committee of the tax department and will undertake stakeholder consultation before finalising the legislation, Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra said on Thursday. Malhotra said that the exercise is not linked to bringing a new direct taxes code, but a comprehensive review of the income tax law. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech earlier this week announced that a comprehensive review of the Income-tax Act, 1961 will be completed in six months. "The purpose is to make the Act concise, lucid, easy to read and understand. This will reduce disputes and litigation, thereby providing tax certainty to the taxpayers. It will also bring down the demand embroiled in litigation," Sitharaman said. To a question whether the review would mean that the government will come with a direct tax code, Malhotra said "It is not a new direct tax code... It is a comprehensiv

IT ministry asks tech firms to find age verification methods under data law

They have to 'figure out' how they want to implement age-gating requirement, says source

Govt continues curbs on import of unregistered IT, electronic goods

Rules referred to 2012 have been replaced with 2021 and there is no change in policy, says senior government official

Centre's 'fact-checking unit' notification stayed by Supreme Court

The court also said the validity of the rules involves serious Constitutional questions and impacts the fundamental right to speech and expression

Centre notifies fact check unit under IT rules ahead of general elections

The notification came a week after the Bombay High Court refused to grant an interim stay on setting up an FCU under the IT Rules to identify fake and false content on social media

Bombay HC gives split verdict in case challenging FCUs under IT Rules

Justice Patel ruled in favour of the petitioners, striking down the rule and Justice Gokhale dismissed the petitions, and upheld the rule

Google Play to allow real money games certified by SRBs as per IT rules

As per a console page of Google Play, it currently allows only valid licensed or authorised gambling apps in categories like online casino games, sports betting, horse racing

Digital India Act's draft to be open for discussion by June 7: IT Minister

The government aims to achieve the goal of a digital economy to cross $1 trillion by 2025-26

New IT Rules: 16 groups join hands against govt-run fact-checking unit

The groups said that the new IT Rules would censor journalism and severely jeopardise freedom of expression

Ethical hacking with permission of owner does not attract liability: MoS IT

Ethical hacking of computer systems or networks done with the permission of its owner does not attract any liability under the IT Act, Parliament was informed on Friday. The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology in response to a question on the guidelines for ethical hacking shared that liability for compensation and punishment under provisions of the IT Act arises if anyone gains access to a computer system without the permission of its owner. "Any act, including an act of ethical hacking, undertaken with the permission/ consent of its owner does not attract liability under the said or other provisions of the Act," Chandrasekhar said. He said that Section 43 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, provides that if any person, without the permission of the owner or other person in charge of a computer, computer system or computer network, among other things, accesses or damages or disrupts such computer etc., he shall be liable to pay damages by way of ...

Data Bill to cause a behavioural change in firms: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

MeitY to come up with all rules of the bill before tabling the bill in the parliament: MoS IT