On Wednesday Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasised on the need of making existing laws more strict to curb vulgar content on social media platforms. The Information and Broadcasting Minister made this statement during the second day of the winter session in the Lok Sabha, where he said that the Parliamentary Standing Committee should take up the issue and also called for a consensus to frame strict laws in this regard.
“Today social media is a very big medium of freedom of the press on one hand, but at the same time, on the other hand, due to the end of that editorial check, it is an uncontrolled expression in which many types of vulgar content are also played. The existing law definitely needs to be strengthened further, and I would request a consensus should be formed on this,” he said.
“There is a lot of difference between the culture of our country and the countries from where these social media platforms have come. So this kind of debate has been raised in a lot of other countries. So I would like the Standing Committee of the Parliament to take up this issue and strict laws are made regarding the same,” Vaishnaw added during the Questioning hour.
Ashwini was responding to questions by BJP member Arun Govil about the existing mechanisms to check telecasts of vulgar and sex-related content through social media platforms illegally and whether the government proposes to make the existing laws more stringent keeping in view the fact that the said laws are not much effective to stop misuse of these platforms.
Govil, who made a name as an actor playing Lord Ram in the popular Ramayan TV series – claimed that content on social media “does not match Indian culture” and called for a government to “keep a close eye” on the material posted online. Meanwhile, later the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day again amidst massive uproar by the opposition.
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