Statement by India on Item 4: Regulation of online hate speech: the role and responsibility of intergovernmental organizations, States, internet companies and social media platforms at the 13^th Session of the Forum on Minority Issues (19-20 November 2020) delivered by Mr. Pawankumar Badhe, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India [Geneva, 20 November 2020]

Madam Chair,

India is a multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-lingual nation with a long history of pluralism. The Constitution of India guarantees justiciable fundamental rights to all Indian citizens, including freedoms of religion and of speech and expression, as well as cultural and educational rights to religious and linguistic minorities. The Ministry of Minority Affairs was established to improve the socio-economic conditions of minority communities. The National Commission of Minorities and the National Human Rights Commission also safeguard rights of Indian minorities.

Madam Chair,

2. A borderless cyberspace, coupled with instant communication and possibility of anonymity, has the potential for spread of misinformation. The Information Technology Act of India has provisions for removal of such objectionable online content. The Information Technology Rules of 2011 require that intermediaries, which include social media platforms, observe due diligence while discharging their duty and inform users of computer resources not to share information that is harmful, objectionable, and unlawful.

Madam Chair,

3. The Government of India has taken several steps to meet the challenge at hand:

(i)       Our Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology and of Home Affairs regularly interact with social media platforms to effectively address the issue of spread of fake news and misinformation as well as removal of objectionable and hateful content.

(ii)      The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has set up a Counter Misinformation Unit to tackle fake news about Government’s programmes and policies on social media platforms.

(iii)     The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has been creating awareness on the importance of internet ethics through its Information Security Education & Awareness Programme.  

(iv)     The Ministry of Home Affairs has created a Twitter handle to spread awareness about cyber safety and cyber security.

Madam Chair,

4. In 2019, India supported the New Zealand-French initiative of the ‘Christchurch Call to Action’ to eliminate violent extremist content online. Earlier this year, following the COVID-19 pandemic, India joined 12 other countries in co-authoring the cross-regional statement on “Infodemic”. It recognized the conditions that enabled “the spread of disinformation…to foment violence and divide communities” and called on countries “to take steps to counter the spread of such disinformation.”

5. India remains committed to guarantee all rights to its minorities in line with its commitments under national and international instruments.

Thank you, Madam Chair.