The centre is all set to introduce the draft of a new Digital India Act to protect children from the dangers of the internet to tackle the growing problem of cyberbullying and the unauthorised sharing of personal information.
With an aim to regulate social media companies, OTT platforms, metaverse, and others, the Digital India Act will also replace the existing IT Act, which has been in place since 2000 and is seen as out of date and inadequate in dealing with the challenges of current times.
Under the new law, cyberbullying and the sharing of personal information without consent will be considered criminal acts, and violators will be subject to severe penalties. The government is also working to implement measures to restrict excessive time on online games and to prevent children under 18 from making in-game purchases.
The centre is expected to soon release a draft of the new act for public consultation. This new legislation is a positive step forward in ensuring the safety and well-being of children online.
The Centre had missed its aim to release the draft of the Bill for public feedback by the end of December last year.
Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar had told CNBC-TV18 earlier that the government wants the DNA and the architecture of all of these legislations rules to implement PM Modi's idea of "Sabka Prayas".
"Simplicity, and having multiple stakeholders be involved in the legislative process, creating the architecture and design of the law is what our outcomes were and I think this bill meets those objectives beautifully," the minister had said.
(Edited by : C H Unnikrishnan)
First Published: Jan 11, 2023 1:47 PM IST
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