The Government has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to lead a group of ministries in forming a policy to prevent misuse of the Internet and social media. A cyber surveillance agency will be set up to forewarn the Government about malicious content. This is part of a three-pronged strategy formed after communally offensive morphed pictures and videos played havoc across the country in July onwards.

The decisions were taken recently at a meeting chaired by the National Security Adviser in New Delhi in which officials from Home Affairs Ministry, Prime Minister’s Office, Intelligence agencies and National Security Council Secretariat took stock of the validity, impact and effectiveness of the government action to block certain content on the internet and social media.

The Home Ministry has been asked to authorise the Intelligence Bureau, Defence Research and Development Organisation and three others to monitor the web and social media services for malicious content that could possibly have law and order implications.

The Home Ministry will involve several departments in preparing guidelines and standard operating procedures for dealing with malicious use of cyberspace.

This will include spreading awareness about existing legal framework besides booking troublemakers under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Technical back-up will be provided by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, which will prepare a comprehensive policy paper outlining the structure, mandate and tasking of the proposed mechanism for responding to malicious use of the Internet.

India has already told the US that websites based on its soil will be covered under Indian laws, specifically Section 153 of the IPC.

A system will be put in place that will have agencies empowered to intervene in real time in case of any offensive Internet posts. A new legal regime will define and deter malicious use of the Internet.