New Delhi, Mar 1 (KNN) Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Tuesday launched a Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC), a faceless dispute resolution mechanism that makes digital platforms accountable to DigitalNagriks.

During the launch of GAC, Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar termed GAC as an institution that will be a beacon for the Indian internet.

“The Appellate Committee will work in the most transparent manner and all their decisions will be uploaded on website and accessible to the public,” he said.

GAC was one of the provisions in the recently amended Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Three such bodies have been constituted comprising of professionals from various fields, an official statement said.

“The mechanism is an important part of the overall framework of making the internet open, safe, trusted and the digital platforms accountable. This, in turn, will create a culture of disclosure and public scrutiny,” he added.

Key persons present at the event included Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary (MeitY), Amit Agrawal, Additional Secretary (MeitY) and Rakesh Maheshwari, Group coordinator (MeitY) apart from representatives of social media intermediaries, consumer groups as well members of the legal fraternity.   (KNN Bureau)