The IT Ministry has begun discussions on a sweeping overhaul of India’s social media regulatory framework, including a proposal to withdraw the legal immunity available to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X for content posted by their users, The Indian Express has learnt. The emerging view within the government is that social media platforms can no longer be considered passive carriers of information, given their use of sophisticated algorithms to rank, recommend and amplify content, and their ability to moderate posts based on their own community guidelines, which may not always align with Indian laws. Such practices, a section of the government believes, amount to exercising editorial control over content, raising questions about whether these companies should continue to enjoy the same legal protections as traditional intermediaries. The government’s thinking has also received impetus from recent observations by the Supreme Court in the Just Rights for Children Alliance vs S Harish case, where the court raised concerns about social media companies’ failure to adequately prevent the circulation of child sexual exploitation and abuse material. https://indianexpress.com/article/business/india-social-media-social-media-regulation-safe-harbour-it-ministry-rules-10951162/?ref=hometop_hp…