States expressed concern over impact of social media: Ashwini Vaishnaw

States across the country raised concerns about the impact of gaming, pornography and social media on institutions and asked the central government to frame laws which could effectively regulate and control these, the minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting with state information technology ministers during the ongoing India Mobile Congress, Vaishnaw said that almost all states expressed concerns about the impact of social media and suggested stronger laws for the regulation of intermediaries.

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“Many states shared their best practices. So that helps other states mould their own laws and regulations, policies around these best practices,” Vaishnaw said.

The government has also started receiving good inputs on the draft telecom bill that it had put up for consultation in public, the minister said.

“We are getting a very good sense about what is the sense of the industry, and majorly everybody has appreciated the bill. There are concerns about the definitions of OTT (over-the-top) and we have sought written suggestions from the industry about their concerns,” he said.

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The Digital personal data protection bill and the Digital India Act were also being worked upon by the ministry and would be uploaded soon for consultations, the minister said.