More teeth for Section 79 of IT Act to check scourge of fake news

Centre asks social media platforms to locate grievance officers in India

The Union government on Thursday said all social media platforms should be required to locate their grievance officers in India, and they will act as the point of contact with law enforcement agencies for all fake news related grievances.

Electronics and Information Technology (IT) Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the Rajya Sabha the government was working at responding to emerging challenges in the social media space. He said the government was “looking at strengthening the implementation aspects of Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000.”

Prasad was speaking in the Rajya Sabha