Google, Koo Release First Compliance Reports Under New IT Rules; Twitter Yet To Share Details

Digital platforms with more than 5 million users will be required to post monthly compliance reports detailing the contents of complaints received and actions taken

(Representative Images/Getty)

New Delhi: As required by the Centre's new IT laws, American tech giant Google and Indian microblogging site Koo published their individual compliance reports on Wednesday. 

According to Google's first monthly transparency report, it received over 27,700 complaints from individual users in India in April this year on alleged violations of local laws or personal rights, resulting in the elimination of 59,350 kinds of information. 

According to Koo's June 2021 report, 22.7 percent (1,253) of the 5,502 Koos (posts) submitted by its user community were removed, while the rest were subjected to "other action" (4,249 Koos). Similarly, Koo took significant steps to regulate 54,235 Koos, of which 2.2 percent (1,996) were removed and the remainder were subjected to "other action" (52,239). On Koos that do not comply with the standards, "other action" includes overlay, blur, disregard, and warning.  

It went on to say that it was the first Indian social media site to publish a monthly compliance report, as mandated by the IT regulations that took effect on May 26. 

"As Koo gains traction across India, we will ensure that Koo respects the law of the land and meets the requirements, enabling every country to define its own digital ecosystem. This Compliance Report is one step in that direction," said Koo co-founder and CEO Aprayameya Radhakrishna, adding that they will make continuous efforts for social media to become a safe space for their users.  

Facebook announced earlier this week that it will release an interim report on July 2 detailing the number of items it removed strategically between May 15 and June 15. 

On July 15, the final report will be released, detailing the customer complaints received and the actions followed. This July 15 report will also include data from WhatsApp. 

As per the new rules, digital platforms with more than 5 million users will be required to post monthly compliance reports detailing the contents of complaints received and actions taken in response to them. The number of specific communication links or sections of information that the intermediary has withdrawn or disabled access to because of the monitoring should also be present in the report.