Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023

 

News: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology amended IT rules 2021.

 

About the Rules:

• These rules will amend the IT Rules, 2021.

• As per the new rules, Social media platforms and other intermediaries on the Internet are now required to make sure that “fake news” articles about the Union government, deemed and declared as such by its Press Information Bureau (PIB), are taken down from their platforms when they are alerted to such posts.

•  if there is an aggrieved party, and a party that is causing the aggrievement, then Section 79 [of the Information Technology Act, 2000] will not be a safe harbour to prevent a dispute from being adjudicated in the courts.

• The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting issued an advisory, warning media entities, platforms and online intermediaries against airing advertisements on betting and gambling platforms.

• The advisory has been issued to all media formats, including newspapers, television channels, and online news publisher.

• The Amendment Rules, 2023 require real money gaming platforms to register with a self-regulatory body (SRB) that will determine whether or not the game is “permissible”. 

 

New Space policy

News: The government (cabinet committee on security)  approved the Indian Space Policy 2023.

 

About the Policy:

• It seeks to institutionalise the private sector participation in the space sector, with ISRO focusing on research and development of advanced space technologies.

• The Indian Space Policy-2023 also delineated the roles and responsibilities of ISRO, space sector PSU NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center.

• The policy will allow the private sector to take part in end-to-end space activities that include building satellites, rockets and launch vehicles and data collection.

• The focus of the policy would be to increase the participation of the private players in the sector.

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Guyana-Venezuela border dispute

News: Recently, Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)ruled they had jurisdiction over a long-running border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About border dispute: 

• History:

  • The land boundary between Guyana and Venezuela has been disputed since its colonial inception between British and Spanish powers in South America. 

  • In the 1840s, the British government had the border unilaterally surveyed, but the proposed line encroached on Venezuelan territorial claims.

  • The boundary has since been arbitrated (1899) and bilaterally agreed upon following demarcation (1905) but remains in conflict.

  • While the British line, accepted by Guyana, is the current de facto boundary,Venezuela maintains a historic claim to all territory currently administered by Guyana west of the Essequibo River.

  • Venezuelan contents that the Arbitral Award of 1899 about the frontier between British Guiana and Venezuela is null and void. 

• Disputed Area:

  • Venezuela’s claim along the Essequibo River extends for 1,034 kilometersbefore reaching Brazilian territory. 

  • At stake is approximately 142,795 square kilometers that is currently administered by Guyana.

  • Offshore the disputed land territory is maritime space that was recently discovered to be rich in hydrocarbon resources, upping the stakes of the land boundary dispute.

• Current Status: 

  • Guyana submitted the dispute to the International Court of Justice in 2018.

  • Despite Venezuela’s withdrawal from the case, proceedings are currently ongoing.