Compensation from Big Tech major media issue: I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw | Latest news India

Disinformation and fake news online, and fair compensation for news publishers are two of the four biggest challenges facing the news media today, says Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said on the occasion National Press Day on Saturday.

He called for greater responsibility and responsibility from online platforms and questioned whether Safe Harbor, a concept that protects platforms from liability for content posted by users, is still relevant today. The other two challenges he mentioned are algorithmic biases on platforms and the impact of artificial intelligence on intellectual property rights.

Vaishnaw said the rapid spread of fake news threatens both the media and democracy. He said platforms do not verify information posted online, causing “false and misleading information” to flood all platforms.

The minister said the concept of safe harbor was introduced in the 1990s, when the internet was only available to a select few. “Today the digital medium is available to many. … Is the safe harbor construct, which was developed in the 1990s, still relevant today? This is the debate that is currently taking place in many parts of the world, in many developed and developing countries,” he said.

Vaishnaw said that by shirking responsibility for content, online platforms have allowed riots to arise in developed countries and interference in their democratic processes.

Fair compensation for media required

Vaishnaw said that with more news being consumed through digital means, traditional media is suffering financially.

Vaishnaw said conventional media should be “appropriately compensated” for the content they create by investing in training journalists, editorial processes, fact checking and taking responsibility for the content produced.

Indian news publishers – both conventional and digital – have repeatedly raised concerns with the Indian government about the imbalance in bargaining power between big tech companies and news publishers, especially due to the former’s monopoly on digital advertising.

An industry body, the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), whose members include HT Digital (the digital arm of the Hindustan Times), is advocating a revenue-sharing mechanism with big tech companies like Google and Meta, similar to the Australian News Media Bargaining Code and Canada’s Online News Act, both of which have resulted in mixed impacts for news publishers in their jurisdictions.

Algorithms maximize engagement and must protect the intellectual property of content creators

Vaishnaw said algorithms on online platforms are designed to maximize engagement as it affects their revenue.

“Unfortunately, these algorithms also tend to prioritize content that elicits strong reactions, regardless of its factual accuracy,” he said. Misinformation and algorithmic biases could have “serious social consequences” in India, he said. “The platforms must come up with solutions that take into account the impact their systems have on our society,” he said.

Vaishnaw also said that the rights of original content creators – including writers, authors, musicians and filmmakers – were being usurped by AI models and needed to be protected. “This is not just an economic issue; it is also an ethical issue,” he said.