Technology, Media and Telecom

An advisory issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (“MIB”) dated October 21, 2022 (“Advisory”), has been making waves and stirring up the airwaves. The Advisory requests the ministries of the Central Government, as well as the Governments of all State and Union Territories. ......

Intermediaries store or transport data on behalf of others and include online marketplaces, search engines, social media platforms, telecom and internet service providers. In 2008, the Information Technology Act ("IT Act") was amended to protect intermediaries from accountability for any information belonging to third parties. ......

The Reserve Bank of India ("RBI") recently published a concept note on Central Bank Digital Currency ("CBDC") to explain its approach towards introduction of the digital rupee and create awareness for its planned features. ......

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India ("MIB"), on December 4, 2020, had issued an advisory addressed to private satellite television channels to adhere to the guidelines on online gaming issued by the Advertising Standards Council of India ("ASCI"), which contained certain best practices for advertisements of online gaming, across several mediums. ......

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (“MIB”) reportedly directed the online video-sharing platform, YouTube to remove 45 videos from 10 channels hosted on its website on September 23, 2022 under the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”). ......

The Reserve Bank of India ("RBI") released its guidelines on Digital Lending on September 02, 2022 ("Guidelines") for immediate implementation from such date. The Guidelines are applicable to existing customers availing fresh loans as well as any new customers getting onboarded from the date of the circular. ......

Payment and settlement systems are essential for the smooth functioning of financial markets, individual remittances, financial inclusion and growth of the economy as a whole. For this reason, central banks across the globe take a keen interest in their safe and efficient functioning. ......

When was the last time you were baited by an advertisement into believing something was priced attractively only to discover that there was a catch to the purchase?, or you thought something was free or discounted, except that it really was not, and that was available only under limited circumstances? Misleading ads can be troublesome, sometimes even dangerous (in the case of children, for example), for consumers and regulators alike. ......

Urban India has witnessed replacement of newspapers and magazines with e-newspapers and e-magazines. Mobile apps and websites are the new source of news on digital platforms. Major news and broadcast companies have ventured into the digital media and news sector to benefit from this new age medium. ......