Govt willing to introduce stricter social media norms, says IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi, 4/2: Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday that the Narendra Modi-led government is willing to introduce stricter social media norms and all microblogging sites operating in the country must be held accountable.

Seeking a consensus of the Rajya Sabha members for stricter social media rules, he said that the government is ready to take up this issue.

Responding to the CPI (M) leader Jharna Das Baidya during the Question Hour, the minister said, “If the Upper House has consensus, we are willing to introduce even stricter social media rules for micro-blogging sites such as Twitter and Facebook.”

“At this point, we are working within the framework of the Constitution. But yes, going forward, we need to make social media more accountable,” Vaishnaw said, responding to Baidya’s query as to whether the government has formulated any rules or guidelines for the social media platforms.