SC: Harsh rules to regulate digital platforms could harm free speech

THE COURT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THE NEED FOR A MECHANISM TO PROTECT PEOPLE'S PRIVACY FROM HARMFUL ONLINE CONTENT

- Utkarsh Anand

The Supreme Court on Monday stressed the importance of a balanced approach to regulating YouTube and similar platforms, cautioning that inflexible and harsh rules to regulate YouTubers and those on similar digital platforms could impose a “gag on free speech” and prove “devastating”, even as it acknowledged the growing need for an effective mechanism to protect privacy, dignity and reputation of individuals and organisations from harmful online content.