The Uttar Pradesh government has announced sweeping new changes in the social media policy from the state.
Applicable across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube, these policies establish guidelines for managing objectionable social media content and legal action. However, they mark a radical and shocking departure from earlier precedents and have provoked controversy and criticism across the country.
Under UP’s new policy, posting ‘anti-national’ content is a serious offence that will carry severe consequences, including penalties that range from three years of imprisonment to a life term. Previously, these offences were handled under Sections 66E and 66F of the Information Technology (IT) Act, addressing privacy violations and cyberterrorism.
The new policy also addresses the dissemination of obscene or defamatory material online, which can potentially lead to criminal defamation charges.
Lastly, the new social media policy has also specified mega payments limits for influencers, account holders, and operators on social media platforms. Influencers can potentially earn up to Rs 8 lakh per month by promoting government schemes and initiatives on their various channels.
For X, Facebook, and Instagram, the maximum monthly payment limits are set at Rs 5 lakh, Rs 4 lakh, and Rs 3 lakh, respectively. On YouTube, the limit for videos, shorts and podcasts are Rs 8 lakh, Rs 7 lakh, Rs 6 lakh, and Rs 4 lakh, respectively.
The policy also grants the government to take legal action if any paid content is found to be ‘anti-national’, anti-social, or derogatory.
The announcement was met with widespread backlash across various sectors of the country. Opposition parties, including U.P Congress General Secretary Anil Yadav and Ameeque Jamei from the Samajwadi Party (SP), denounced the new social media policy and accused the government of trying to control the narrative silence criticism in the digital age.
Several digital influencers and social media platforms have also expressed deep concerns regarding the same.
