The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed all social media platforms to erase any content that discloses the identify and images of the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case, in accordance with a Supreme Court decision. This direction is in response to an order made by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, and the Supreme Court on August 20, 2024.
The court’s ruling requires that all mentions of the victim’s name, images, and videos be taken down immediately from electronic and social media platforms. The Court claims that these materials have been distributed in spite of earlier legal safeguards meant to protect the confidentiality and dignity of those who have been the victims of similar crimes, which is why this action is required. The Court’s order highlights the necessity of abiding by current rules that safeguard victims’ identities, as decided in the 2018 Nipun Saxena case, which limits the sharing of rape victims’ identities.
MeitY’s notification emphasizes how crucial it is to follow this Supreme Court ruling in order to stop more invasions of the victim’s privacy. The Ministry has made it clear that social media companies need to take prompt measures to take down the offensive content and notify MeitY’s cyber laws section of their activities. If you don’t follow the rules, there could be legal consequences and more regulations.
MeitY is working to ensure complete enforcement by not just removing content but also delivering explicit directives to significant social media intermediaries, which are platforms with over 5 million users in India. MeitY usually does not have direct control over smaller platforms; they will be steered through public information bulletins.
The question of impersonation is also addressed in the Court’s ruling. Several Instagram accounts that imitate the victim have surfaced, utilizing images from her authentic accounts. Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has regulations that permit the deletion of accounts that are fraudulent. This emphasizes how platforms must act quickly to stop the improper usage of user-provided photos and data.
In general, the Supreme Court’s ruling seeks to defend victims’ right to privacy and to strengthen the legal guidelines designed to safeguard their identity in delicate situations.
SOURCE :
HINDUSTAN TIMES
