Monitoring of Networking Sites

Ministry of Communications & Information Technology

Monitoring of Networking Sites

Government has notified Information Technology (Intermediaries guidelines) Rules, 2011 under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. These rules provide for the intermediaries which includes social networking sites to observe due diligence and safeguards for prevention of hosting of obscene, blasphemous, pornographic, paedophilic, defamatory etc. material on their website. Further, sections 67, 67A and 67B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 provides stringent punishment and fine for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form as well as for publishing or transmitting material containing sexually explicit act, or depicting children engaged in sexually explicit act.

Government has also notified Information Technology (Guidelines for cyber cafe) Rules, 2011 under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The Rules prescribe the general guidelines and security measures to be observed by the cyber café. Rule 7 of the said rules provide for supervision of cyber cafe for the compliance of these guidelines.

This information was given in Lok Sabha today by Shri Sachin Pilot, the Minister of State, Communication and Information Technology in response to a question.

PIB