Response to the Draft Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules], 2018

We at the Esya Centre, greatly appreciate the opportunity given to us by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy) to respond to the draft ‘Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules], 2018’ (“Draft Rules”), which seek to replace the rules notified in 2011. We appreciate that MEITy has undertaken to reform and clarify issues on Internet governance through these rules. However, after a thorough analysis of these rules, we believe a more holistic understanding of evolving technologies, and global trends in Internet governance may be instructive for MEITy to take this discussion forward. As such, we have approached this analysis from a broad, technological perspective, highlighting the major thematic areas under each proposed rule, rooting our arguments in broader discourses on internet governance and the attendant rights and obligations of stakeholders. Therefore, Part I of this response will provide a brief snapshot of some of the proposed Rules, and how they can be revised to comply with prior legislative jurisprudence, and best practices. Part II will delve into a more detailed discussion on the broader principles of regulatory governance. We hope that these thematic discussions will prove instructive in a larger discourse about the growing Internet ecosystem in India.