Government says no proposal to link social media profiles of users with their Aadhaar for now

The government on Wednesday said there is no proposal to link social media profiles of users with their Aadhaar numbers and asserted that steps are being taken to curb spreading of fake news and pornography, especially revenge porn that supposedly on a rise in the country through social media platforms.

Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that pornography, particularly child pornography, is a "serious menace" and measures are being taken to curb it. "Revenge porn is also rising in the country", he told Lok Sabha during Question Hour.

There are an estimated 3000 revenge porn websites worldwide. A 2016 survey conducted by Cyber & Law Foundation, an NGO in India points out that 27 per cent of internet users aged between 13 to 45 years have been subjected to such situations.

According to the minister, the government has taken several steps to keep a check on the spread of fake news, pornographic and anti-national content via social media platforms. "There is no proposal with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to link social media profiles of users with their Aadhaar number(s)," Prasad said in a written reply.

His response was to a question on whether the government proposes to formulate any policy to link the social media profile of users with their Aadhaar numbers.

Speaker Om Birla said there has to be a serious discussion on issues related to social media. Agreeing with him, Prasad said there has to be a discussion on the issue in the House on social media misuse. While replying to a supplementary on blocking websites that are spreading fake news and pornography, the minister also said that India should not be compared with China or the Middle East, adding, "We are a democracy".

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi wanted to know whether the government issued directions to Facebook as the first shooter at Jamia had live-streamed certain things through the social media platform.

The minister said he would not comment on it since the police investigation is going on.