Guwahati: Major social media companies have been told to respond first to complaints about unlawful online material from authorised authorities, including law enforcement agencies, according to sources.
The directive came in an advisory issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on October 8.
The ministry expressed concern about information circulating online in connection with the protests, which may be false, misleading, altered or stripped of its original context.
An official familiar with the matter said the advisory calls on major platforms to identify unlawful posts and give priority to complaints received from authorised government bodies.
The ministry cautioned that the circulation of such material could lead to violence, disturb public order and social harmony, and create law and order problems.
Platforms have also been asked to identify synthetically generated material with labels, particularly when it is made to appear as though it depicts events happening in real time.
Compliance with requests from law enforcement and other authorised agencies is another requirement set out in the advisory.
Social media companies have been asked to act promptly on such requests, share information and provide assistance in accordance with the applicable law and the deadlines set under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, the source said.