Rush Hour: IT Rules amended to alter takedown norms, Tejashwi Yadav is Opposition CM face & more

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The Union government has amended the 2021 Information Technology Rules to specify which authorities can seek the removal of content posted online. Now, take-down or blocking directions can be issued only by a court of competent jurisdiction or by a government official not below the rank of joint secretary or director.

For police requests, the officer must be at least a deputy inspector general. Further all such orders must be written and reasoned.

Earlier, any “appropriate government or its agency” could issue such orders.

This comes in the backdrop of an ongoing legal dispute involving social media platform X, which had challenged the Centre and state governments in the Karnataka High Court over content takedown orders issued under the IT Act.

X has argued that many of these notices lacked proper reasoning and did not follow due procedure. The High Court dismissed the plea in September, saying social media platforms cannot have unchecked freedom. X is now preparing to appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court. Read on.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav has been named the Bihar opposition alliance’s...

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