India Intermediary Liability and Accountability of Social Media Platforms in India: Navigating Freedom of Expression and Online Abuse

The intersection of technological advancements and the legal landscape framing the governance paradigm of intermediary liability and accountability of social media platforms in India is deep.These platforms act as intermediaries connecting the user with digital communication, where the user generates the content as well as freedom of expression.Yet there is a different and challenging role they must play when the information served is one of falsehoods, hate speech, or cyber harassment.The mainstay of intermediary liability discourse is how to strike the right balance between the protection of fundamental rights under Article 19(1)(a) 1 vis--vis its regulatory imperative to mitigate online harm.This domain has been influenced by legislative and judicial development.IT Act 2000 2 being the statutory foundation.The focus of this section is on defining intermediary liability, particularly its scope, and regulatory aspects counting on safe harbors, due diligence requirements, and loss of immunity.This study seeks to explore the demystifying realm of Intermediary liability and accountability of social media platforms and aims to highlight the extent of freedom of speech and expression under the garb of online abuse.