VOLUNTARY CODE OF ETHICS
1. Context
Acting on takedown requests by the Election Commission of India (EC), X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday announced that it had withheld four posts — one each by the Aam Aadmi Party, the YSRCP, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and state BJP president Samrat Choudhary.
2. What are the rules cited by EC for orders to remove posts?
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has been active throughout the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, starting from the declaration of polls on March 16 and will continue until the results are declared on June 4. In correspondence with X, the Election Commission (EC) referenced clauses within the MCC prohibiting the criticism of political parties and candidates based on unverified claims, as well as critiques regarding their personal lives.
Furthermore, the EC pointed out its advisory issued on March 1, urging political parties to adhere to the MCC guidelines and uphold decency throughout the Lok Sabha campaign
3. Why did a voluntary ethics code for social media platforms emerge?
- Furthermore, the EC also informed X about their commitment to the Voluntary Code of Ethics proposed by social media platforms in 2019.
- In January 2019, recognizing the increasing use of social media by political parties, the EC established a committee led by Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha to deliberate on this issue.
- Following several meetings, the committee recommended amendments to the Representation of People Act, 1951, which governs the conduct of elections, to encompass regulation of social media posts during the 48-hour period before polling, when traditional campaigning is prohibited.
- Subsequently, in March 2019, the Internet and Mobile Association of India, in collaboration with social media platforms, presented a code of ethics to the EC, which was planned to be expanded to all future elections following the Lok Sabha polls
4. What does this Code Say?
- The code stipulates that social media platforms will voluntarily initiate campaigns for information, education, and communication to raise awareness about elections, including electoral laws.
- Additionally, the social media platforms established a dedicated grievance redressal channel with high priority to address cases reported by the EC.
- According to the code, legitimate legal directives from the EC will be acknowledged and/or addressed within three hours for violations falling under Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, while other valid legal requests will be handled promptly.
- Section 126 pertains to restrictions on campaigning during the 48-hour period before polling. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, approximately 900 posts were removed by social media platforms upon the EC's request
5.Way Forward
The Election Commission of India has issued directives for X to remove posts containing political content shared by elected officials, political parties, and candidates for office. In adherence to these directives, we have restricted access to these posts for the duration of the election period. Nonetheless, we hold the opinion that these actions are not justified, and we believe that freedom of expression should encompass such posts and political discourse in general
Source: Indianexpress
