Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the state minister for electronics and information technology, claimed on Sunday that governments all over the world and online forums have lagged behind in establishing regulations for major technology giants' advances that may be detrimental to society.
Chandrasekhar also stated that although the Internet has been a force for good, it has also progressively come to stand for danger, user injury, and crime at the India Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which was organised by FICCI.
"For too long, governments all around the globe, as well as the IGF and the majority of forums, have fallen behind these major private digital platforms in terms of the necessary legislation and dos and don'ts.
For a very long time, Chandrasekhar claimed, "we viewed them as inventors and inventions rather than dealing with them as innovations and the possibility that those innovations can bring harm and other disruptions to society and individuals."
As 1.2 billion Indians are expected to utilise the Internet, he claimed that the government must prioritise concerns of safety and trust.
"They will include the old, young people, kids, women, and both rural and urban residents. Therefore, the government's policy obligations to provide our citizens with online safety and trust, as well as accountability, have become of utmost importance "ministers stated.
He emphasised how the legal and policy frameworks are being developed gradually and methodically by the administration.
The minister cited the example of the intermediary rules, which underwent nearly three and a half months of public consultation, as evidence that "consultation and the multi-stakeholder ecosystem that has been built around the Internet in India is helping us bridge these policies and build these laws with extensive consultation."
Alkesh Kumar Sharma, the IT secretary, claimed that the Digital India programme complements the government's efforts to promote digital literacy with the help of a successful indigenous success story that has gone global thanks to advancements in technology.
"We are drafting legislation to safeguard our residents' data, privacy, security, and safety. Additionally, we are examining how to establish a trillion-dollar digital economy in the following three years "added Sharma.
