The government is in advanced stages of finalising new guidelines to regulate social media platforms and make them accountable for the nature of content they host and peddle.

The new set of directives would mandate amendments to the Information Technology Intermediaries Guidelines Rules of 2011 which are part of Section 79 of the IT Act.

The hallmark of the new rules would be the timelines social media platforms would need to follow when asked by the government to take down unlawful content. The definition of unlawful content is expected to be widened under the new rules.

Government sources said discussions were under way on how much time to allow for removal of content, with a 36-hour to 48-hour range under debate. Most countries follow the 36-hour timeline. The new rules would apply not just to social media platforms, but also to over-the-top (OTT) platforms and web-based news portals, the sources said.

The draft provisions speak of a self-regulatory system with a code of ethics, as practised by TV channels. A compliance officer to respond to concerns flagged by law enforcement agencies, timely submission of compliance reports by social and digital media players, a grievance redressal structure and powers to bureaucracy to act in emergencies within 48 hours should the platform in question refuse to comply.

The sources said the social media platforms could be asked to reveal the origins of unlawful content – an issue that is expected to create a stir with WhatsApp consistently maintaining that it cannot compromise user privacy.

Nations worldwide are grappling with social media giants’ power with Australian PM Scott Morrison piloting a law to make Facebook and Google pay news firms whose content they host on their platforms.