Why did a voluntary ethics code for social media platforms emerge?
Moreover, the EC also reminded X that it had agreed to the Voluntary Code of Ethics that social media platforms had come up with in 2019.
Moreover, the social media platforms created a high-priority dedicated grievance redressal channel for taking action on the cases reported by the EC.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, around 900 posts were taken down by the social media platforms upon the EC’s request.
While it has complied with the EC’s orders, X maintains that it disagrees with these requests.
Acting on takedown requests by the Election Commission of India (EC), X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday announced that it had withheld four posts — one each by the Aam Aadmi Party, the YSRCP, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and state BJP president Samrat Choudhary.
While the social media platform agreed to the EC’s requests to withhold said posts for the duration of the Lok Sabha elections, it said in a statement that it disagreed with the orders. Thus, in the interest of transparency, X made the emails, sent earlier this month by the EC to the platform, public.
These emails said that the posts in question violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), and that X had a responsibility to remove these posts as it had agreed to the ‘Voluntary Code of Ethics’ for social media platforms.
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Here is all you need to know about this ethics code.
What are the rules cited by EC for orders to remove posts?
The MCC has been in place for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections since the announcement of polls on March 16, and will remain in force till results are announced on June 4. In its email to X, the EC cited provisions of the MCC against criticism of political parties and candidates based on unverified allegations, and criticism of their private lives.
The EC also cited its March 1 advisory, in which it had warned political parties to follow the MCC and maintain decorum during the Lok Sabha campaign.
Why did a voluntary ethics code for social media platforms emerge?
Moreover, the EC also reminded X that it had agreed to the Voluntary Code of Ethics that social media platforms had come up with in 2019.
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As political parties increasingly took to social media, EC, in January 2019, set up a committee under Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha to ideate on the matter. After multiple meetings, the committee suggested changes to the Representation of People Act, 1951 — which deals with the conduct of Lok Sabha and state assembly elections — to cover social media posts in the 48-hour period before polling, when conventional campaigning is banned.
The Internet and Mobile Association of India, along with social media platforms, would go on to present code of ethics to the EC in March 2019, which would, after the Lok Sabha elections, be extended to all elections in the future.
What does this code say?
The code says social media platforms will voluntarily undertake information, education and communication campaigns to spread awareness about elections, including about electoral laws.
Moreover, the social media platforms created a high-priority dedicated grievance redressal channel for taking action on the cases reported by the EC. The code said valid legal orders of the EC would be acknowledged and/or processed within three hours for violations reported under Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and other valid legal requests would be acted upon “expeditiously”.
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Section 126 refers to the curbs on campaigning in the 48 hours preceding polling. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, around 900 posts were taken down by the social media platforms upon the EC’s request.
How has X reacted to the latest takedown?
While it has complied with the EC’s orders, X maintains that it disagrees with these requests. X’s Global Government Affairs team said: “The Election Commission of India has issued takedown orders requiring X to act on posts containing political speech shared from elected politicians, political parties and candidates for office. In compliance with the orders, we have withheld these posts for the remainder of the election period; however, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts and political speech in general.”
It has asked the EC to publish all the takedown orders in the future.
