The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved a new social media policy designed to regulate content across major platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. The policy sets forth new guidelines for handling objectionable content and mandates legal action for violations.
Under this policy, posting anti-national content is considered a serious offense, with potential penalties ranging from three years of imprisonment to a life sentence. Previously, such actions fell under Sections 66E and 66F of the Information Technology (IT) Act, which address privacy violations and cyberterrorism.
The Policy
The policy also stipulates that spreading obscene or defamatory material online may lead to criminal defamation charges, highlighting the serious legal consequences of abusing digital platforms.
Additionally, the policy promotes the sharing of government schemes, projects, and achievements by encouraging advertisements across social media. Influencers have the potential to earn up to Rs 8 lakh per month by promoting these government initiatives.
The policy outlines specific payment limits for social media influencers and platform operators: X has a maximum limit of Rs 5 lakh, Facebook Rs 4 lakh, and Instagram Rs 3 lakh per month. On YouTube, payment limits are set at Rs 8 lakh for videos, Rs 7 lakh for shorts, Rs 6 lakh for podcasts, and Rs 4 lakh for other content.
The government has designated the digital agency ‘V-Form’ to manage advertisements and oversee the display of videos, tweets, posts, and reels.
