MeitY Withdraws Letter Written To 'Apple' Seeking Compliance With IT Rules, Know Why

According to the IT rules, Apple's I-message will not be considered an important social media intermediary. Earlier it was to be considered an intermediary due to a large number of users.

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According to the IT Rules 2021, Apple's iMessage will not be considered a significant social media intermediary. In fact, Apple's iMessage has more than 25 million active users in India, so it was initially considered an important social media mediator. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had written to Apple India on May 26, seeking details about compliance with the new rule. But the letter was later withdrawn, as it was not an instant messaging service provider for conversations between two or more users.

According to the information, the government defines social media as any platform that 'primarily or fully' allows and enables online interaction between two or more users. In addition, it permits users to upload, share, transmit, modify, or use any information that the user allows access to. Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Signal, and LinkedIn are among the major social media platforms in India.

Ministry writes a letter seeks explanation

According to the information, after the expiry of 90 days for social media to comply with the IT rules, the ministry had written to all social media platforms on May 26, seeking details of compliance, such as the name and contact of the Chief Compliance Officer, nodal contact Person, and Resident Grievance Officer.

No messaging system is outside the purview of compliance 

Industry sources said that no messaging system is outside the purview of compliance as per the guidelines of IT regulations. According to the new IT rules, the number of users and the time limit is required for a social media intermediary.