Govt refuses to exempt mainstream media from new IT rules, asks them to comply with its provisions

The government has refused to exempt the digital news content of mainstream television channels and print media from the ambit of the the IT Rules, 2021 and asked them to take "urgent steps" to comply with the provisions of the digital media rules immediately. The rationale for bringing the websites of the organisations under the ambit of the law is "well reasoned", the information and broadcasting ministry said in a clarification to digital news publishers, publishers of online curated content or OTT platforms and associations of digital media publishers on Thursday. The National Broadcasters Association had recently written to the ministry, urging it to "exempt and exclude" the traditional television news media and its extended presence on digital news platforms from the ambit of the Information Technology Rules 2021, saying they are already "sufficiently regulated" by various statutes, laws, guidelines, codes and regulations. Accordingly, the request for exempting the digital news content of such organisations from the ambit of digital media rules 2021 cannot be acceded to," the ministry said. The ministry also dismissed the concerns that the oversight mechanism stipulated under the digital media rules would lead to excessive government control over the functioning of the digital news publishers and the OTT platforms.