Social media companies have been put on notice by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who demanded equitable revenue sharing with content originators during a Thursday address. Encompassing journalists, established media, influencers, regional talents, academics, and researchers, creators must get fair compensation from platform monetization.
The minister advocated a principled approach: platforms, beneficiaries of vast user content, owe creators clear, unbiased revenue splits. This spans urban reporters to remote innovators and knowledge-sharing experts.
Transparency in distribution, Vaishnaw argued, will bolster India’s digital content framework, encouraging sustained production.
Contextually, this dovetails with MeitY’s regulatory push via IT Rules 2021 amendments, aimed at AI fakes and deepfakes. Platforms must tag synthetic media with persistent markers.
For SSMIs like Meta, Google, and Snap serving massive Indian audiences, labels must be overt – 10% screen real estate for visuals, first 10% for sound. Non-manipulable metadata enforces compliance; deliberate oversights trigger IT Act repercussions.
Vaishnaw’s directive marks a pivotal shift toward creator empowerment, potentially reshaping revenue dynamics and enhancing platform accountability in India’s booming online space.