GAC portal to address social media grievances from March 1
The portal for Grievance Appellate Committees (GAC) aimed at looking into complaints against online platforms is likely to be activated by March 1. The Centre issued a notification for setting up the committees last week, to which citizens would be able to register their unresolved grievances against social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter, along with e-commerce platforms. Here's more to it.
Why does this story matter?
- Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, announced the formation of GACs last year owing to recurring complaints from users saying they didn't know who to reach to resolve an issue.
- The GAC is essentially a policy and legal framework to hold the internet in India accountable, contrary to the current opacity regarding companies handling complaints.
Companies have appointed token grievance officers: Chandrasekhar
Chandrasekhar called it "bizarre" that there's no significant effort for accountability on the part of tech giants despite dealing with millions of users. He said that such platforms have appointed grievance officers as merely a token, who remain a "letterbox." Soon, citizens would be able to reach GACs on www.gac.gov.in if they receive an unsatisfactory response from online companies.
Three GACs to be set up
Three GACs will be established based on the recently amended Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The amended rules advise for the creation of avenues for grievance redressal, apart from courts, to ensure that the Constitutional rights of Indians are not hampered by big tech platforms. The government's stand was articulated after extensive public consultations, the notification reads.
GAC expected to resolve complaint within 30 days
The committees will operate as a completely virtual platform, starting from filing the appeal up to the panel's verdict. The committee is expected to respond to a grievance within 30 days, during which the reviews and reporting would be transparent. The spectrum spans from wrong product delivery or replacement to cyberbullying and hate speech. This government-regulated grievance redressal system is expected to bring transparency.
Each GAC will have 1 chairperson, 2 full-time members
Each GAC will have three members, including the panel's corresponding chairperson. Two full-time members will be appointed from various government entities, while the chairpersons will be retired senior executives from the industry instated for a three-year term.
