How India’s Broadcast Bill will muzzle content creators
A draft of the updated provisions significantly expands the regulatory scope of the proposed law, bringing under its purview any account that posts news online.
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This article was first published on MediaNama.
Online streaming services, social media accounts and online video creators, from across the globe, might come under the regulation of the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting according to the latest version of the country’s proposed Broadcast Bill.
The proposed changes in the Bill will have significant implications for press and creative freedom. Some of the aspects of the Bill reported here were first reported by the Hindustan Times.
YouTubers and Instragrammers (and perhaps TikTok creators) beyond a certain threshold of users will have to intimate the Indian government of their existence within a month of the Bill being passed, and register with a three-tier regulatory structure previously applicable to streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar.
They will also have to create a content evaluation committee at their own cost which will need to check all content before it gets published. Social media companies that do not provide the government with information about their users will face criminal liability. Accounts sharing news must notify the government with their details within a month of the Bill’s notification and comply with the three-tier regulatory structure, regardless of platform or follower count.
The Bill also brings within its scope advertising networks as “advertising intermediaries”.
A draft...
