Social media companies to cut takedown time to 2 hours
Social media companies have already agreed to a ‘voluntary code’ on taking down ‘problematic content’ and bringing ‘transparency in political advertising.’
IAMAI, which represents the interests of social media companies, said they were committed to making ‘good faith efforts to acknowledge and/or process violations within two hours”
BENGALURU: Social media companies have agreed to take down content that violates the mandatory 48-hour blackout before polls within two hours instead of the previously agreed three hours after the Bombay High Court pressurised the Election Commission of India, according to a submission by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) to the election watchdog.
A petition seeking regulation of social media companies was filed in the court in October and the Election Commission, Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube responded to it. The petitioner had argued that the three-hour takedown time limit was unduly long and would frustrate the object of prohibiting political advertising 48 hours before elections. “Considering the speed at which sometimes information spreads and travels on the Internet (in common parlance – go viral), we cannot say that the concern expressed by the petitioner is entirely unfounded,” the court said in its ruling on March 29. “This issue, however, will have to be looked into by the Election Commission. The Election Commission will take a decision in respect of three hours’ period.”
In response, the Election Commission asked the social media companies to reduce their takedown time to two hours. The Internet and Mobile Association of India, which represents the interests of social media companies, said they were committed to making ‘good faith efforts to acknowledge and/or process violations within two hours” but asked for some flexibility.
“IAMAI… respectfully asks that the 3-hour timeframe consistent with the Sinha Committee recommendations remain in place — to ensure that participants have sufficient time to acknowledge and/or process violations in all instances,” the body said in a letter to the Election Commission. ET has a copy of the letter. The association asked the EC to consider stopping the takedown clock in cases where the companies needed more information such as requests that lack URLs or involve large volumes or do not follow ‘lawful process.’ “IAMAI proposes that in such cases, the time period be suspended from the time the request for clarification or additional information is made until such time that clarification or additional information is provided, at which point the time period would begin to run again,” the letter said.
Social media companies have already agreed to a ‘voluntary code’ on taking down ‘problematic content’ and bringing ‘transparency in political advertising.’ Almost a third of India’s 900 million voters are active on social media, making this one of the world’s biggest-ever attempts to monitor internet content.
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“IAMAI respectfully submits that in the absence of appropriate provisions for such contingencies, there would be technological and operational impediments to the timely and appropriate review and actioning of valid legal orders; and it would place at risk the ability to apply proper procedures to ensure due process and protect free speech,” the lobby told the EC.
