News India Live, Digital Desk: We all are seeing what is going on on social media these days. Sometimes a deepfake video goes viral, and sometimes fake news spreads like wildfire. And when the government or police question these companies, they give up. Their rote answer is – “We are just a platform, the content is uploaded by the user.” But now the Government of India has clearly said that this excuse will no longer work. Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has issued a stern warning to social media giants, especially Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and YouTube (Google). Why did the government get angry? Recently, there have been some incidents which have created an atmosphere of fear in the digital world. Deepfake videos and content that divides society are being shared indiscriminately. Companies are earning crores from this content through advertising, but when it comes to stopping it, they avoid taking responsibility. Ashwini Vaishnav has said that social media platforms will now have to take “accountability”. You cannot earn money just by poisoning the society. What is the cover of ‘Safe Harbour’? (Samjho Saral Bhasha Mein)The root of this entire fight is a law, which is called ‘Safe Harbour’. Section 79 of the IT Act provides protection to these companies. This means that if I or you post something wrong on Facebook, the police cannot catch Facebook, they will only catch me. Facebook is just an intermediary. But now the government is saying that if you do not filter deepfakes and false content, then we will take away this ‘armour’ from you. Think, what will happen if this happens? If the safe harbor is removed, then an FIR can be lodged directly against the owners of Facebook or YouTube for any post you post. This will be no less than a nightmare for these companies. What changes can happen? The Minister has clearly indicated that we will not shy away from bringing strict laws like Europe. Content Moderation: Companies themselves will have to see what is being uploaded on their platforms. Immediate action: On receipt of complaint, the content will have to be removed immediately instead of waiting for hours. Punishment: If there is negligence, the platform may have to make rounds of the court. The government’s message is clear – India belongs to the world. It is the largest digital market. If you want to work here, you will have to take care of the safety and respect of the people here. Now it remains to be seen whether these tech companies listen to the government or whether we will soon see a new and strict ‘digital law’.