Google publishes report under new IT rules

Tech Giant, Google released its Transparency report on June 30, 2021 in compliance with the IT rules.

Key points of Transparency report

• Transparency report was published as India tightens its stand against google for its new IT rules.
• As per google, it received a total of 27,762 complaints in April 2021 while number of removals were 59,350.
• Google is the first global tech companies to publish its transparency report in compliance with new Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
• This is the first time google will publish a monthly transparency report in accordance with new IT Rules.
• About 96 per cent (26,707) complaints received by Google deal with copyright issues. About 1.3 per cent (357) complaints deal with trademark.
• As per google, some complaints or requests may allege infringement of intellectual property rights, while others claim violation of local laws which prohibits types of content on grounds of defamation etc.

How report will be published?

According to google, to allow sufficient time for data processing and validation, it will maintain a two-month lag for reporting. In upcoming reports, data on removals as a result of automated detection and data related to impersonation and graphic sexual content complaints will also be included.

What does new IT rules say?

According to New IT rules, digital platforms with over 5 million users are required to publish periodic compliance reports every month.

New IT Rule

Central government has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 in February 2021. This rule deals with social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. Rules were framed under section 87 (2) of Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. As per new rules, resident grievance officer will be appointed under grievance redressal mechanism and content on social media platforms will be monitored actively. Social media platforms are required to publish monthly compliance reports for Indian users. Also, authorities in India can ask these platforms to identify origin of any message

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2021