Editor's Pick: The trouble with intermediary rules

The Hindu Newsletter - Newsletter - subject [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Thursday 11, March 2021 [alt_text]( Editor's Pick A challenge to the new IT rules [alt_text]( (The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.) The [Kerala High Court has issued an order]( that prevents the government from taking action under Part III of the new [IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021]( against Live Law Media Private Ltd., which runs a legal news portal. The intermediary rules are the guidelines for implementing the IT Act of 2000, which governs online communication and its facilitators. The earlier version of the rules covered 'intermediaries' or those platforms and companies that hosted online communications but were not active participants in it. These rules were updated recently to cover video streaming services and online news websites. Part III of the rules require streaming and online news platforms to set up a three-tier grievance redressal system with the third level controlled by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The oversight mechanism at the governmental level is [empowered to order the blocking of content](. Live Law's petition argues that this amounts to excessive regulation. In its petition, Live Law also raises the issue that the new rules require intermediaries to track the originators of messages. This is a breach of privacy and the right to freedom of expression of users, it argues. This also goes beyond the bounds of Section 69A of the parent IT Act, which empowers the government to get intermediaries to block content that it deems to be [against the national interest.]( These are issues that have been widely discussed since the rules were notified, as having far-reaching implications in the online world. The Kerala High Court verdict gives legal backing to these concerns. This verdict that finds the new rules to be an overreach by the government however comes within days of the [Supreme Court commenting the new rules]( didn't go far enough. These varied views are what makes the story important. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Dustlik-II is a joint military exercise between India and which country? 1. Uzbekistan 2. Kazakhstan 3. Kyrgyzstan 4. Mongolia To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here]( The Big Story [New IT rules | Kerala High Court restrains Centre]( [alt_text]( From the Front Page [alt_text]( [Severe fund crunch likely to delay free breakfast scheme]( [alt_text]( [Tirath Singh Rawat sworn in as CM of Uttarakhand]( From the Opinion Pages [alt_text]( [Tectonic turbulence in Dravidian politics]( [alt_text]( [A case for a revamped, need-based PDS]( Today's Editorials [On Supreme Cou](rt query on an environment watchdog [On change of guar](d in Uttarakhand You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0bfbzsa8bf2f90kaup33rtbysa8hkdd@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. If you can't see the mailer, please [click here.]( Group Sites [The Hindu]( | [இந்து தமிழ் திசை]( | [Business Line]( | [BL on Campus]( | [Sportstar]( | [Frontline]( | [The Hindu Centre]( | [Images]( | [roofandfloor]( | [Classifieds]( Copyright @ 2021 ,THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. [About Us]( | [Contact Us]( | [Digital Subscription](