Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 26
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has agreed to observe voluntary code of ethics, including pre-certified political advertisements and facilitate transparency in paid political advertisements, for the Assembly elections to Haryana, Maharashtra and other bypolls across social media platforms. Haryana and Maharashtra are scheduled to vote on September 21.
“The IAMAI and social media platforms Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Google, ShareChat and TikTok had presented and observed the “Voluntary Code of Ethics” during the General Election to 17th Lok Sabha earlier this year. IAMAI has assured the commission that the platforms will cooperate in ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections”, the ECI said in a release today.
As a result of ECI’s persuasion, all the major social media platforms and IAMAI came together and mutually devised the code of ethics for the General Election, which came into effect on March 20. During the election period, social media platforms took action on 909 violative cases, reported by the ECI.
Among other things, the code includes that social media platforms will voluntarily undertake information, education and communication campaigns to build awareness, including electoral laws and other related instructions, create a high priority dedicated grievance redressal channel for taking expeditions action on the cases reported by the EC.
Social media platforms and the EC have developed a notification mechanism by which the EC can notify the relevant platforms of potential violations of Section 126 of the RP Act, 1951, and other electoral laws. The EC also said Section 126 of the RP Act prohibits displaying of any election matter by means of television or similar apparatus during the period of 48 hours fixed for the conclusion of the poll.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2maMZbV
via Today’s News Headlines
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