Grievance panel to be set up to make social media companies accountable about complaints

A grievance appellate panel will soon be set up to make social media companies accountable about complaints received regarding content takedown. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said on Tuesday that it has proposed the appellate panel after receiving complaints about the unsatisfactory responses from grievance officers of social media companies.

The grievances panel will have the power to override decisions of social media companies and other internet firms, a statement by the ministry said. IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the proposed amendment is aimed at offering "additional avenues" for grievance redressal to social media users.

“The idea of a grievance officer was that he/she would address the grievance raised by the consumer...that is the whole idea of accountability. But many a times we have seen reports that consumers send letters/ complaints to the grievance officers, and they just get acknowledgement, but nothing happens,” Chandrasekhar said.

The government uploaded a fresh draft of the amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, late on Monday night.

The proposal to set up the panel was aimed at addressing some infirmities and gaps arising out of big technology companies, an official statement from the Ministry said.

However, Chandrasekhar said that was "open" to big tech platforms suggesting an effective self-regulatory appellate mechanism also. But, according to the minister, the self-regulatory appellate system must be able to offer a "better solution" to resolve grievances raised by social media users. The minister also said the new amendments to the social media rules will be finalised before the end of July, after consultations with stakeholders.

The proposed appellate committee would look into the appeals filed by individuals against decisions made by grievance officers of social media platforms.

Besides, the panel must also dispose of the appeals within 30 days of receiving them; its decision will be binding on the intermediaries or the large social media companies concerned, according to the amendments being proposed in the IT rules.