Title: Strengthening legal framework to combat hate speech on social media: the Indian strategy towards a safer online space

Authors: Kriti Kaushik; Sonu Agarwal

Addresses: School of Law, Manipal University Jaipur, Dehmi Kalan, Off Jaipur-Ajmer Expressway, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303007, India ' School of Law, Manipal University Jaipur, Dehmi Kalan, Off Jaipur-Ajmer Expressway, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303007, India

Abstract: The extent of hate speech on social media platforms is increasing gradually. In the absence of any fixed definition in the law, detection of harmful content becomes arduous. Any attempt to define the limits of hate speech might meet the fate of Section 66-A of the Information Technology Act which was expunged by the Supreme Court of India due to gross violation of free speech. Recently, the Indian Government has introduced new Information Technology Rules, 2021, whereby social media intermediaries must comply with certain guidelines to ensure safety in cyber space. This is a welcome step because these guidelines will make social media companies more responsible, however concerns of censorship still loom large. Therefore, this research aims to find out those problem areas, which impede the effectiveness of the extant law to tackle online hate, how other countries deal with similar difficulties and whether India can follow similar footsteps.

Keywords: hate speech; social media; information technology; free speech; regulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLAP.2024.139511

International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 2024 Vol.10 No.3, pp.268 - 283

Received: 10 Oct 2022
Accepted: 21 Jan 2023
Published online: 03 Jul 2024 *

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