Ravi Shankar Prasad applauds new IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for his stance on IT rules

Former IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday, July 12 praised successor Ashwini Vaishnaw for his stance on IT rules. The former said that the newly appointed IT minister deserves praise for "firmly reiterating the new IT Rules... empower safety and security of users". Prasad, who was frequently in dialogue with Twitter over its reluctance to comply with the rules also offered the social media giant some relief in agreement, saying it has "has taken some steps to comply with the new rules".

"Greetings to the new IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for firmly reiterating that the new IT Rules are designed to empower the safety and security of users against misuse and redress their grievances. Assuring to note that Twitter too has taken some steps to comply with the new rules," he wrote on Twitter. The praise came after the Vaishnaw said that he had "reviewed implementation and compliance of" the IT Rules on Sunday, July 11.

Ashwini Vaishnaw on new IT rules

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw became one of several new faces in the union cabinet after last week's reshuffle. Following up on where Ravi Shankar Prasad left, Vaishnaw had said that he would review the implementation and compliance of the IT Rules. Posting the message on Koo, the made-in-India platform, Vaishnaw made it clear that he would continue to be in loggerheads with Twitter until they comply with the revision of the IT rules. Last week, Vaishnaw also warned the microblogging site that "the law of the land is supreme".

Twitter has been a target for the central government as they failed to appoint a chief compliance officer within the time prescribed. Following continuous pressure from the centre, the US based company made an interim appointment on Sunday, July 11. The company had earned some time to work after it told the Delhi High Court last week that the permanent appointee would be named within eight weeks.

The new IT rules are scheduled to come into effect on May 25. Among other provisions, the new amended rules will require social media platforms (with over 50 lakh users), online news publishers and OTT platforms to appoint an India-based grievance officer. The companies will be bound to follow government directives on take-down of "offensive" content, which has led to critics calling it a violation of the right to privacy and freedom of expression.

IMAGE: PTI