Mozilla, Wikimedia, other internet bodies urge govt to scrap changes in IT rules for social media platforms

[MrFredPFL]

Story : https://www.businesstoday.in/top-story/mozilla-wikimedia-other-internet-bodies-u

Mozilla and a few other global internet bodies have urged the government to scrap current changes being mulled in IT rules for social media and other platforms and suggested that fresh public consultation is undertaken on ways to curb harmful speech online.

These organisations, which also include the Wikimedia Foundation and GitHub, have raised "deep concerns" in an open letter to IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad over the changes being proposed in IT rules, saying that the amendments in their current form will push platforms to surveil and censor content.

They have also contended that the proposals being talked about, are "unprecedented step" towards transforming the internet from an open platform for collaboration and innovation "to a tool of automated censorship and surveillance of its users".

"As currently drafted, these rules would undermine Indian users' access to myriad sites and services, putting them at a considerable disadvantage compared to users, developers, and organisations in other countries," they said in the letter.