The IT Ministry<\/a> hopes to notify the changes \"very soon\", possibly in less than a month.
A government official privy to the matter said the proposed mechanism will be citizen-centric, and the composition of grievance redressal committee will notified as part of the rule.
It is likely to have one government nominee as well as some independent experts, the official said but did not comment on the specifics of the panel or its other constituents.
The government is in the process of amending the social media rules that propose to give users a grievance appeal mechanism against arbitrary content moderation, inaction, or takedown decisions of big tech companies.
The government had, in June, circulated the draft rules around this. At present, \"there is no appellate mechanism provided by intermediaries nor is there any credible self-regulatory mechanism in place\", the IT ministry had then said.
\"It is proposed to create an appellate body called 'Grievance Appellate Committee' under rule 3(3) of the IT Rules 2021 by invoking section 79 of the IT Act<\/a> having regard to additional guidelines as may be prescribed by the Central Government<\/a>. Users will have the option to appeal against the grievance redressal process of the intermediaries before this new appellate body,\" the note accompanying the draft amendment had said.
The committee will endeavor to address the user's appeal within a period of 30 days, the note had further said.
Even after providing for the redressal mechanism through the IT Rules, 2021, user grievances remained unresolved, prompting the government to step in and propose an appellate jurisdiction framework.
Government has, all along, emphasised that safety and trust are public policy objectives and mission, and it will do all it takes to ensure suitable safeguards are in place for digital citizens navigating online and social media space.
Amid reports that digital platforms are acting arbitrarily in pulling down content and 'de-platforming', the government has made it amply clear that social media companies cannot undermine the constitutional rights of citizens, and that internet<\/a> must be a safe and trusted place with all platforms accountable to their users. There is a growing discontent among a section of users who allege that digital platforms have been indulging in arbitrary acts in taking down content, or not responding fast enough to grievances, despite users red-flagging them.
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