Nashik: The social media news has alarmed the whole nation, stating a ban on social media platforms like Whatsapp, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook in India if they fail to comply with the new mediating guidelines put for by the MEITy (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology). The MEITy gave a three-month deadline to these platforms that ended on the 25th; for accepting the new guidelines.
Koo, a homegrown social media platform, is the only one to accept the guidelines so far. While Facebook hinted at the acceptance of the new guidelines, Whatsapp has filed a lawsuit in New Delhi High Court stating the new guidelines demand ‘mass surveillance’ of user data and violates their fundamental rights. Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, in response to Whatsapp’s statement, stated that the government of India is committed to ensure the right to privacy of all its citizens.
However, the government is also responsible to maintain law and order and ensure national security. The new rules issued in February include the following additional due diligence, including appointment of a chief compliance officer, nodal contact person, and resident grievance officer.
“I am not aware of the complete policies, but I think the government should consider the public say in the ban. We will always support our nation, no matter what. However, if the new policies are invading our personal space and violating our fundamental rights, just like Whatsapp said, then even I won’t support the policies. The basic idea behind a social media account is the right to privacy. If government policies don’t hamper our privacy and the nation is just protecting our data from the foreign companies, I will accept the ban happily.”- Hritika Lokhande
“I don’t care about Facebook and Twitter, but Instagram shouldn’t be banned. Many people earn through Instagram. There are influencers, digital marketers, small level entrepreneurs, and many other talent based pages that function on this app. Insta is one of the free platforms for people to share their opinions and stories freely. As a result, I personally believe that Instagram holds utmost importance in every person’s life and shouldn’t be banned.”-Harshita Mahajan
“Social media applications are only ones keeping us sane during these tough times. We chat, video call, share memes, watch stand-up comedy, and put forth our opinion through these apps. I interact with my boss on Whatsapp. How will I interact with my boss if the apps get banned? I know there are million other apps to connect through, but I guess we’ve become comfortable with these apps. I need my daily dose of memes through Instagram. I think the companies should accept the policies and keep serving us.” – Gaurav Kholiya