THE three-tier framework created by the Centre to determine the contours of digital media, OTT platforms and news publishers is a much-needed step that must be hailed by the larger society. Though some voices have cropped up over tight Government leash on creative content showed on such platforms, especially the OTT medium, recent controversies on some web series clearly show why regulation is necessary to avert divide on caste as well as religious lines.

 

The guidelines also take care of a genuine problem of anonymity extended to social media platform users. It was being used as a tool to spread hatred and fake news through digital platforms as the shield of anonymity could not be breached due to lack of potent laws. It will now be mandatory for platforms such as Twitter and WhatsApp to identify the originator of a message that authorities consider to be anti-national and against security and sovereignty of the country. Even otherwise, governance of public spheres cannot be left in the hands of a few Internet companies. A code of ethics has guided India’s media content and it must extend to the newer platforms.