It Law

I-T dept simplifies process under new guidelines for compounding offences

The income tax department on Thursday issued revised guidelines for compounding offences under the I-T law by simplifying the process and lowering the charges. The revised guidelines will apply to pending as well as new applications for compounding of offences. It has done away with the categorisation of offences and removed the limit for filing applications, among others, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in a statement. To facilitate the compounding of offences by companies and HUFs, the requirement of the main accused filing the application has been dispensed with. The offences of the main accused as well as any or all co-accused can be compounded on payment of relevant compounding charges by the main accused and/or any of the co-accused, under the revised guidelines. The compounding charges have also been rationalised by abolishing interest chargeable on delayed payment of compounding charges, reducing rates for various offences, such as for TDS defaults multiple ra

Parliamentary panel on IT to review mechanism to curb fake news, OTT issues

The parliamentary committee on Communications And Information Technology has decided to review the mechanism to curb fake news as well as the issues related to the emergence of OTT platforms. With cryptocurrency making its presence felt in India, the committee will also examine the emergence of new forms of currencies and their impact. The panel headed by the BJP's Nishikant Dubey has also selected the impact of the emergence of Artificial Intelligence and related issues as one of its subjects. The panel is mandated to examine the functioning of the ministries of information and broadcasting, electronics and information technology, and communications. According to a Lok Sabha Bulletin issued on Tuesday, the department-related standing committee has also selected for examination a review of the implementation of laws related to all forms of media as well as a review of the functioning of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati. As hundreds of people every day fall victim to digital and c

Stakeholders seek more time to submit comments on digital competition law

Various stakeholders on Monday urged the government to provide more time to submit inputs on the draft digital competition law. As many as 21 entities, including CUTS International, Broadband India Forum, Internet Freedom Foundation and The Dialogue, as well as 26 individuals have written an open letter in this regard. Initially, the deadline for submitting comments on the draft digital competition law and the report of Committee on Digital Competition Law (CDCL) was April 15 and the same has been extended till May 15. In their letter to Corporate Affairs Secretary Manoj Govil, they said the current deadline to submit comments by May 15 is insufficient to make a nuanced and informed submission, considering the technical complexity of the subject matter, cross-cutting impact of the bill and regulatory overlaps. "The bill will impact various sectors and domains of the digital economy, including user experience, data protection and security, supply chains, investments, business costs

India embraces data privacy with DPDP Act, experts await detailed rules

Amid rising cyber threats, DPDP Act marks a pivotal step in data privacy management, with stakeholders eager for comprehensive guidelines

Fake news rules: Can statute have unbound discretionary authority, asks HC

Is it permissible in law for a statute to have unbound and limitless discretionary authority, the Bombay High Court asked on Friday while hearing a bunch of petitions against the recently amended Information Technology (IT) Rules against fake news. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale said before it goes into the effect the Rules would have on the fundamental rights of citizens, it needs to know the boundaries and limits of the words - fake, false and misleading - used in the Rules. The court was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the IT Rules that empower the Centre to identify fake, false and misleading information posted on social media against the government and its business. Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India and the Association of Indian Magazines filed petitions in the high court against the rules terming them as arbitrary, unconstitutional and saying that they would have a "chilling effect" on the fundamental rights of ...

Twitter approved 83% of govt requests over content globally under Musk

In April, Musk said that by a free speech,' he simply means that which matches the law

Safe harbour for social media companies likely to become narrower

Anonymity, non-traceability of users on online platforms will no longer exist after Digital India Bill becomes law and replaces Information Technology Act

Sibal slams govt over fact-check provisions of IT Amendment Rules

Former IT minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday attacked the Centre over the fact-check provisions of the IT Amendment Rules, saying now the government will decide what is fake and Union Home Minister Amit Shah says democracy is not in danger. Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday said internet firms like Google, Facebook and Twitter may lose protection under safe harbour if they fail to remove content identified by the government-notified fact-checker as false or misleading information. Reacting to the development, Sibal said, "Now PIB will decide what is fake and what is not and notify it. If online platforms choose to ignore, they will lose their immunity from prosecution." "Now Government to decide what is fake and what is not! And Amit Shah ji says democracy is not in danger," the Rajya Sabha MP said. Sibal was referring to remarks made by Shah in Uttar Pradesh on Friday when he attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent comments in th

Here's how Utah's social media law could curb kids' access to social media

The state of Utah in the USA signed two bills last week restricting the usage of social media for minors. In the proposed Digital India Act, India's IT ministry hinted at similar rules

Congress opposes Centre's new IT rules draft, dubs it 'censorship'

The Congress on Thursday opposed the new IT rules draft and accused the Centre of muzzling the Internet and Censoring Online Content

Centre proposes self-regulatory body for online gaming companies

The gaming companies will have to appoint a Grievance Officer who will be an employee of the online gaming intermediary and shall be a resident of India

Key tech reforms like data protection, revised IT rules, expected in 2023

As India aspires to become $5 trillion economy, it needs sharper regulations to tame Big Tech from misusing market dominance. Will 2023 finally deliver key bills on data protection and crypto?

MeitY may stick with a govt-backed GAC for social media content issues

The IT rules, 2021, require significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs) appoint a resident grievance officer to decide on content-related complaints

IT law takedown provision used to block Krafton BGMI game: Reports

India's government blocked access to Krafton's battle-royale game BGMI under the same provision of its IT law which it has invoked since 2020 to ban Chinese apps on grounds of national security

Centre aims to make Big Tech pay for using content from news publishers

If implemented, the new law will force Big Tech companies to pay digital news publishers a share of the revenue earned via using their original content.

New IT Act may bring in deliberate misinformation, doxxing as offences

The law may have provisions for net neutrality, data privacy, and algorithmic accountability of social media platforms. It will focus on 'user harms' specific to the online world.

Why Twitter sought legal action and moved HC against Indian govt

Twitter in its petition said that content does not meet the threshold for blocking under section 69A

Twitter files petition for judicial review of Indian orders on takedown

On June 27, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a notice to the Chief Compliance Officer of Twitter Inc, giving the company 'one last opportunity'

New IT rules likely to impact ease of business in India, says report

Study says proposal to trace origin of a message on social media platforms is technologically unfeasible

New social media laws in response to rights violations, says Centre

The Indian government last week released a draft of changes to its IT law that would require companies to "respect the rights accorded to the citizens under the constitution of India"