IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw calls for stricter social media regulations to curb vulgar content

Minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw was speaking in the Parliament on November 27

Minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw urged the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT and Communications to deliberate on stricter regulations to curb vulgar content on social media.

Speaking in Parliament on November 27, Vaishnaw emphasised the erosion of traditional editorial checks and called for consensus on implementing robust regulatory measures.

“Today, social media is both a tool for freedom of expression and a platform for uncontrolled expressions where vulgar content is proliferating,” Vaishnaw said.

The minister pointed to the stark contrast in cultural sensitivities between India and the countries of origin for most social media platforms. "The countries from where these social media platforms originated—the sensibilities there are very different. This debate is happening in almost all countries,” he said, noting the global relevance of the issue.

Vaishnaw’s remarks also highlighted an era when traditional press adhered to checks and balances, ensuring public dissemination of information with accountability.

“Earlier, the press used to work with editorial checks and balances. It was only then that information was brought to the public," he said. He added that now in the age of social media, content was being published by individuals without adhering to such checks.

Urging the parliamentary committee to lead the charge in addressing these challenges, Vaishnaw called for stronger regulations. "We would urge the committee to take up this issue, create consensus on it, and we would also like to bring more stringent regulations to deal with this,” he said.

The minister’s comments come amid increasing scrutiny of social media platforms for their role in propagating harmful or offensive content, with many stakeholders, including civil society and lawmakers, debating the balance between freedom of expression and regulatory oversight.