Google Is Committed To Complying With Local Laws: Pichai Amid New IT Rules In India
Mumbai: Google is committed to complying with local laws and engages constructively with governments as they scrutinise and adapt regulatory frameworks to keep pace with the fast-evolving technology landscape, its CEO Sundar Pichai said.
“It’s obviously early days and our local teams are very busy … We always respect local laws in every country where we work and we work creatively. We have a clear transparency report, when we comply with government requests, we highlight that in our transparency reports,” Pichai said in a virtual conference with select reporters from the Asia Pacific.
Also Read: ‘Threat To Freedom Of Speech, Will Strive To Comply With New IT Rules’: Twitter
He said that an independent and open Internet is “basic”, and India has long-standing traditions.
As a company, we are very clear about the values and benefits of an independent and open Internet and we advocate it, and we engage creatively with regulators around the world, and we participate in these processes, I think it’s a part of how we learn…”
Also Read: Facebook To Take Action Against Users Repeatedly Sharing Misinformation
He said that the company respects legislative procedures, and in cases that need to be pushed back, it does so. “It is believed that there should be a balance that we have forged around the world,” he said.
Pichai said that technology is touching society in deeper and broader ways and the landscape is evolving at a rapid pace.
“So, we fully expect governments rightfully to both scrutinize and adopt regulatory frameworks. Be it Europe with copyright directive or India with information regulation etc, we see it as a natural part of societies figuring out how to govern and adapt themselves in this technology-intensive world,” he said, adding that Google engages constructively with regulators around the world, and participates in these processes.
The new IT rules for social media companies, which came into effect from Wednesday, aim to create digital platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram and Google – which have seen a phenomenal surge in usage over the past few years in India – more accountable and responsible for the content hosted on their platform.
The new rules, announced on 25 February, require large social media players to take extra precautions, including the appointment of the Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Contact Person and Resident Grievance Officer.
‘Important social media intermediaries’ – defined as having more than 5 million registered users – were given three months to comply with additional requirements. These social media companies will have to lose their intermediary status as a result of not following the rules that provide them with discounts and certain exemptions from third party information and liabilities that they host. In other words, they may be liable for action.
(With PTI Inputs)
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and like us on Facebook for the latest updates and interesting stories.
