Digital platforms must share revenue with media for using news content: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday underlined that digital platforms using news content must share revenue with media organisations, noting that several countries had enacted laws to enforce such sharing after voluntary compliance failed.

Addressing the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) conclave, Vaishnaw recalled that the government had earlier urged digital platforms to share revenues generated from news content. This time, he said, the Centre's message carried an implicit warning that legal measures could follow if voluntary arrangements were not put in place.

The minister said society's progress rested on original content and intellectual property, and warned that the lack of fair recognition and compensation could harm vital fields such as literature and science, ultimately impeding human advancement.

The demand for equitable revenue sharing has long been raised by industry bodies, including the Indian Newspaper Society. Major digital platforms generate significant advertising revenue through news links and summaries, while media organisations that produce the content receive little share of the proceeds.

Vaishnaw cited the example of Australia, where internet companies are legally required to compensate media outlets for using news content. He noted that although digital platforms initially opposed the legislation and even threatened to withdraw services, they eventually agreed to comply after the Australian government signalled it would pursue alternative regulatory measures.

It now remains to be seen whether India will move towards a similar statutory framework to ensure fair compensation for news publishers.

Digital platforms face questions over 'safe harbour'
At the conclave, the minister also issued a strong warning that digital platforms must take responsibility for the content they host, asserting that the era in which platforms could disclaim liability for user-generated content was coming to an end. Drawing an analogy, he said that just as hotel owners ensure their premises are not used for illegal activities, digital platforms too must ensure that content hosted on their services complies with the law.

The remarks were seen as an indirect reference to the "safe harbour" protection enjoyed by online platforms under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. These provisions currently shield platforms from liability for content posted by users. However, removing or diluting this protection could have far-reaching implications for social media and digital companies, as platform officials could then be held legally accountable for unlawful posts made by individual users.

Vaishnaw also stressed that user consent is mandatory in cases involving artificial intelligence-generated content. He flagged concerns over the misuse of AI-generated material, including instances where fabricated videos or audio clips of news anchors and business leaders are used to mislead the public or promote fraudulent investment schemes.

Credible Journalism essential for AI governance
Mariam Mammen Mathew, CEO of Manorama Online and chairperson of the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), said artificial intelligence and rapid technological advances were fundamentally reshaping how news is discovered, distributed, and monetised.

Delivering a talk titled "The Evolution of Media in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," she said that as AI platforms are trained on massive volumes of data, robust licensing frameworks and access to credible content become essential. "When power in the digital space becomes increasingly centralised, collaborative engagement is crucial. Credible journalism is indispensable for effective AI governance," she said.

The conclave was also attended by S Krishnan, Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, among others.