• 3 months ago
#DeepDiveWithOutlook | Uttar Pradesh's new Social Media Policy: A gateway for influencers to earn big or impacting free speech? Dive deep into the potential impact on digital platforms and expression.

Reporter/Script: Rani Jana
Camera; Suresh K Pandey
Editor: Sudhanshu Pandey

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Transcript
00:00Imagine earning up to Rs 8 lakh a month just for posting on social media.
00:05But what if that opportunity comes with strings attached?
00:08Welcome to Deep Dive with Outlook.
00:10Today, we are breaking down the new Uttar Pradesh social media policy and what it means
00:15for influencers and digital media platforms operating in the state.
00:20During the pandemic in 2020, many people started uploading videos of themselves to social media
00:26platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
00:29With the halt on new television and film programming, these short videos became the
00:34world's entertainment source.
00:37Brands quickly took notice and engaged them for digital marketing.
00:41Today, influencers not only promote products but also shape public opinions.
00:46Now, governments are also turning their attention to this space.
00:51Last week, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet led by Yogi Adityanath passed a social media policy
00:57aimed at regulating platforms like Instagram, X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
01:04The policy offers payment to influencers with a substantial following for creating content
01:10that promotes government schemes and initiatives or for running government-sponsored ads.
01:17If they apply the policy, influencers could earn monthly payments of up to Rs 8 lakh based
01:22on their follower count and platforms.
01:25But there's more to it.
01:27A controversial feature of this new policy is that the government can withhold ad payments
01:32to influencers and digital platforms if their content is found to be anti-national, vulgar,
01:39or deemed to spread misinformation.
01:42Legal action could also follow.
01:44Opposition leaders like Congress's Pawan Khaira have questioned the policy, asking
01:49for clearer definitions of offensive content.
01:53Meanwhile, the Press Club of India has strongly condemned the policy.
01:58They argue that the policy is vague, draconian, and threatens the freedom of speech guaranteed
02:04by Article 191A of the Constitution.
02:07Efforts to regulate media go back decades.
02:24Similarly, in 1988, Rajiv Gandhi's government introduced a defamation bill, which was widely
02:31criticized as an attempt to stifle the press.
02:34The UPA government introduced Section 66A of the IT Act as a private member bill in
02:412008 in an attempt to curb online digital platforms like X.
02:46The section led to several controversial arrests, including the arrest of two young girls for
02:51posting against the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.
02:55In 2012, even MP Kapil Sibal, the Telecom and IT Minister of the time, admitted the
03:02section was misused by many state governments.
03:05In 2015, the Supreme Court had to step in to declare the section unconstitutional.
03:12Fast forward to recent times, and the focus has shifted towards the digital space.
03:17In 2021, the government introduced the IT Rules.
03:21These regulations established a three-tier grievance redressal system for digital media
03:26and OTT platforms.
03:28While the government claimed the rules would ensure transparency and accountability, critics
03:34argued they opened the door to censorship and harassment of media houses.
03:39So, is this new social media policy an attempt to effectively regulate digital platforms
03:45or could it potentially impact free speech?
03:48Let us know your thoughts in comments below.

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