Indian Govt Directs Digital Platforms To Remove Fraud Loan Ads In A Week

The Ministry of Electronics and IT in India has issued a strong order to online platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google. They have been told to remove ads of fake loan apps within a week. These apps are illegal and can trick people into scams.

The Indian Express did an investigation and found that these loan apps are still being advertised on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This is happening even though these platforms say they have filters to stop such ads. Some of these apps were already marked as dangerous by the government.

The government is making new changes to the Information Technology (IT) Rules. With these changes, if social media platforms show ads for these fraudulent loan apps, they could lose their legal protection.

The advisory from the government says that the online platforms must take extra steps to stop these ads. If they don't, and something goes wrong because of these ads, the platforms will be responsible.

Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, explained that this action is a response to the problem. The IT Ministry has been working with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to solve this issue. They are planning a strong system to handle these loan apps.

The government wants to make sure that these platforms do not allow ads for illegal loan apps as part of their rules. This is to protect users from being misled or scammed.

The Indian Express talked to many people like borrowers, government officials, and big tech companies. They found that because there are no strict government rules, these platforms don't check the ads properly. This lets scammers advertise their fake loan apps easily.

The government is also planning to make a list of safe loan apps. This will help people know which apps are safe to use.

The advisory also asks platforms to follow IT Rules strictly. This includes stopping the spread of false information made by AI, like deepfakes. The platforms have to make their reporting and complaint systems stronger. They need to tell users about the laws that can be used against them if they break the IT Rules.

This advisory is part of the government's efforts to make online platforms follow rules against illegal content like child abuse material, pornography, and ads for illegal loan apps.