Why In News?

A Parliamentary Committee summoned representatives from major tech giants including Meta, Google, X, and Snapchat, to discuss strict regulations for digital platforms. 

What are the Major Issues Before the Parliamentary Committee?

Data Privacy

  • Protection of personal data of women, children, farmers, labourers and rural users.

  • Compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.

  • Prevention of unauthorised data collection, profiling and AI model training.

  • Cross-border transfer of users' personal data.

  • Stronger consent management and user control over personal data.

Harmful & Illegal Content

  • Spread of deepfakes, AI-generated misinformation (SGI) and online impersonation.

  • Circulation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

  • Revenge pornography and non-consensual intimate imagery.

  • Hate speech, communal misinformation and terrorist propaganda.

  • Online frauds, phishing scams and financial cybercrime.

Public Order & Platform Responsibility

  • Platform accountability for viral content leading to riots or violence.

  • Timely removal of unlawful content.

  • Compliance with lawful takedown directions.

  • Transparency in content moderation decisions.

  • Responsibility for algorithm-driven amplification of harmful content.

Child & Women Safety

  • Protection against cyberbullying and online grooming.

  • Age verification mechanisms.

  • Safe-by-design platform architecture.

  • Stronger safeguards for minors and vulnerable users.

AI Governance

  • Mandatory labelling of AI-generated content.

  • Detection of synthetic media and deepfakes.

  • Algorithmic accountability and bias mitigation.

  • Responsible deployment of generative AI.

 Platform Accountability

  • Compliance with Indian laws.

  • Appointment of grievance officers.

  • Transparency reports.

  • Cooperation with law-enforcement agencies.

What are the Key Challenges in Regulating Social Media?

Constitutional Rights Balance: Preventing harmful content while protecting Freedom of Speech and Expression (Article 19(1)(a)); excessive regulation may create a chilling effect on dissent and journalism.

Algorithmic Transparency: Platforms treat recommendation algorithms as trade secrets, making it difficult to audit bias, misinformation amplification and content prioritisation.

AI-Generated Content (SGI): Deepfakes and synthetically generated content blur truth and misinformation; rapid detection and labelling remain technologically difficult despite the 2026 IT Rules amendments.

Cross-Border Jurisdiction: Global platforms operate across jurisdictions, complicating enforcement of Indian laws and court orders.

Privacy vs Surveillance: Traceability requirements may weaken end-to-end encryption, affecting the Right to Privacy (Article 21).

Rapid Technological Evolution: Laws often lag behind innovations such as Generative AI, deepfakes, metaverse and virtual influencers.

Hate Speech & Online Radicalisation: Detecting unlawful speech while preserving legitimate expression is difficult.

Data Privacy Risks: Extensive collection and profiling of user data increase risks of breaches, surveillance and misuse.

Dark Patterns & Addictive Design: Engagement-driven algorithms encourage excessive screen time and behavioural manipulation.

Lack of Independent Audits: Absence of mandatory third-party audits reduces accountability for platform algorithms and moderation practices.