Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday called for the need to revisit safe harbour provisions for platforms amidst rapid spread of fake news and disinformation. He also said that there is a need to address the “asymmetry” in bargaining power between digital platforms and traditional media so they get fair compensation for their content in the fast evolving digital consumption landscape. He also flagged challenges regarding social consequences of algorithmic bias and impact of AI on intellectual property rights.
Talking about the challenges of rapid spread of fake news and disinformation, Vaishnaw said, since the platforms do not verify content, false and misleading information can be found in abundance. He pointed to the intensifying global debate on the relevance of safe harbour provisions in this rapidly involving digital media landscape. “The question which arises is who will take responsibility for the content that is published on these platforms ? Our country has many sensitivities which do not exist in the countries where these platforms originate. Shouldn’t platforms operating in a context as complex as India adopt a different set of responsibilities? These pressing questions underline the need for a new framework that ensures accountability and safeguards the social fabric of the nation.”, he added.
Fair compensation
Vaishnaw stated that there is also need to address the issues regarding fair compensation for traditional media at a time when the consumption of news is rapidly shifting to digital media. He said this shift has led to a financial impact on conventional media, which invests heavily in journalistic integrity and editorial processes. “These platforms are having a very unequal edge in terms of bargaining power they have vis-a-vis conventional media. This needs to be addressed. The efforts made by conventional media in creating content needs to be suitably compensated,” Vaishnaw added.
Raising concerns about algorithms of platforms often seen prioritising amplification of sensational or divisive narratives to drive revenues, the Minister said, “The platforms must come out with solutions that account for the impact their systems have on our society.”
Vaishnaw also pointed out that the rise of AI presents ethical and economic challenges tocreators whose work is used to train AI models. “AI models today can generate creative content based on vast datasets they are trained on. But what happens to the rights and recognition of the original creators who contributed to that data? Are they being compensated or acknowledged for their work?,” he added