The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved a new social media policy designed to regulate content on platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. This policy outlines procedures for managing objectionable social media content and requires legal measures to be taken.
According to the updated policy, posting anti-national material is considered a serious offence with stringent consequences, including penalties that could extend from three years to a life sentence. Historically, similar actions were managed under Sections 66E and 66F of the Information Technology (IT) Act, which pertain to breaches of privacy and cyberterrorism.
Furthermore, the official statement mentions that sharing obscene or defamatory content online could lead to criminal defamation charges, emphasising the legal consequences of abusing digital platforms.
The policy outlines that the government has appointed a digital agency named ‘V-Form’ to manage advertisements. ‘V-Form’ will oversee the display of videos, tweets, posts, and reels.
Influencers can earn up to Rs 8 lakh per month on social media by sharing the government's schemes and initiatives on their platforms.
The policy has also specified payment limits for influencers, account holders, and operators on social media platforms. For X, Facebook, and Instagram, the maximum monthly payment limits are set at Rs 5 lakh, Rs 4 lakh, and Rs 3 lakh, respectively. On YouTube, the payment limits for videos, shorts, and podcasts are Rs 8 lakh, Rs 7 lakh, Rs 6 lakh, and Rs 4 lakh, respectively.