After the union government notified IT Rules 2021, the apex court, as per reports will no longer use WhatsApp- an online instant messaging app for sharing links of virtual hearings.
Replacing the WhatsApp, registered email-ids and mobile numbers will be used.
The decision comes in the wake of Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021.
In a notice it was informed that from now onwards the virtual conference links for online hearings won't be shared via WhatsApp due to the new guidelines or regulations issued by government pertaining to social media apps and OTT platforms.
The government has announced changes to the online media. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting held consultations in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai over the last one and half years wherein OTT players have been urged to develop “self-regulatory mechanism”.
According to the official statement by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Government studied the models in other countries including Singapore, Australia, EU and UK. It noticed that most of them either have an institutional mechanism to regulate digital content or are in the process of setting-up one.
According to Meity, the rules establish a soft-touch self-regulatory architecture and a Code of Ethics and three tier grievance redressal mechanism for news publishers and OTT Platforms and digital media.
Read More: What is the Digital Media Ethics Code notified by government of India?