On Wednesday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) hosted a workshop in New Delhi aimed at improving how people can complain about social media content. This event was the first meeting between members of three Grievance Appellate Committees (GACs) and social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter/X, which were set up to help users when they have issues with platforms’ decisions.
At the workshop, government officials asked social media companies if there was a way to automatically block maps of India that leave out areas like Jammu and Kashmir. These discussions are part of a big push for a safer and more responsible internet.
GACs were created in 2022 to help users who are unhappy with how social media platforms handle their complaints. If users are not satisfied with the platform’s response, they can go to these government bodies for help.
During the workshop, some GAC members suggested that social media companies should provide more detailed answers to complaints instead of just sending standard replies. They also requested that platforms include dates in their communications so they could track if complaints were resolved in time.
In very serious cases, like when a woman’s account is hacked, the GACs can still take complaints, even if they are a bit late or weren’t first addressed by the platform.