Patna: The Bihar government has announced stricter monitoring of social media platforms, warning that posts spreading misinformation, rumours, hate speech or unlawful content could lead to official notices and legal action.
In a new move aimed at controlling the spread of misleading or inflammatory material online, the state has appointed the deputy inspector general (DIG) of its cyber crime and security unit as the nodal officer responsible for issuing takedown notices.
The decision has been formalised through a notification issued by the home department’s special branch under provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the amended IT Rules, 2021.
Cyber police empowered to order removal of content
Under the new arrangement, the DIG will have the authority to directly instruct social media platforms to remove content found to violate the law or promote communal tension, rumours or hate speech.
Previously, officials at this level did not have the power to issue such takedown directions.
Major platforms including Facebook, X, Instagram and other digital networks will be required to comply with the orders and remove the flagged content.
Legal consequences for non-compliance
Officials said that if social media companies fail to act on such notices, they could lose the “safe harbour” protection granted under Section 79 of the IT Act.
This protection normally shields platforms from legal liability for user-generated content. Losing it could expose companies to legal proceedings for hosting unlawful material.
Monitoring to be strengthened across districts
The state government has also directed district-level authorities to intensify monitoring of online content.
District magistrates and superintendents of police will track social media activity locally and report suspicious or harmful posts to the headquarters to prevent rumours from spreading..
