The government before the end of July will finalise new social media rules that propose to give users a grievance appeal mechanism against arbitrary content moderation, inaction or takedown decisions of big tech companies but is open to any self-regulatory appellate model that the industry could offer for the same.

The government on Monday recirculated the new draft rules that proposed a government panel to hear user appeals against inaction on complaints made or against content-related decisions taken by grievance officers of social media platforms.

At present, “there is no appellate mechanism provided by intermediaries nor is there any credible self-regulatory mechanism in place”, the IT ministry had said.

The government’s proposal to set up a grievance panel that will have the power to override decisions of social media companies and other internet firms is aimed at addressing some infirmities and gaps arising out of big technology companies, an official statement said.

The ministry of electronics and information technology in a press note attached with reloaded draft notification to amend the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, said that it would hold a public consultation in mid-June on the proposal.

The minister of state for information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Tuesday that the government is open to suggestions of an acceptable self-regulatory appellate framework that the industry may propose.

Chandrasekhar said that the need for an appellate panel was felt, as there were several instances of inaction over user complaints, as also cases where users were dissatisfied with the decisions taken by the grievance officers.

The government’s objective of safeguarding the interest of digital citizens is an important one, he said hoping that the evolving rules and regulations will be taken positively by the big tech companies.

“It is being done not to make it difficult for them, it is being done to keep citizens safe,” the minister told reporters.

Even after providing for the redressal mechanism through the IT Rules, 2021, user grievances remained unresolved, prompting the government to step in and propose an appellate jurisdiction framework, he explained.

In the draft amendment to the IT Rules 2021, the MeitY has brought in a new clause which would require intermediaries to respect ‘rights guaranteed to users under the Constitution of India’.

Second, it brings in a new Grievance Appellate Committee that, the MeitY said, will give an additional mechanism to appeal decisions made by grievance officers of intermediaries.

This committee will also have the power to overrule any decision made by grievance officers of intermediaries, including blocking or removal of any user or user account on social media platforms.

Lastly, it has proposed a change in the grievance redressal mechanism, where intermediaries will be required to address grievances regarding content removal from platforms within 72 hours. For other grievances, the existing 15 day timeframe will continue.