If you use Instagram, things could be about to change. A parliamentary committee in India has called for mandatory KYC-based identity verification on social media platforms, including Instagram. The recommendations have been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the IT Ministry. The move is aimed at making digital spaces safer, particularly for women and minors.
The committee has flagged growing concerns around fake profiles, impersonation, and harassment by anonymous users on social media and dating platforms.
What Has The Parliamentary Committee Suggested?
The committee has recommended that user verification be made mandatory across social media, gaming, and dating apps.
Under the proposed rules, platforms like Instagram could be required to verify the identity of their users through a KYC process, similar to what is followed in banking and financial services.
The suggestions go further than just a one-time check. The committee has recommended that verification be carried out on a regular basis. Users who are reported for abusive behaviour could also be flagged as high-risk under the proposed framework.
For dating and gaming platforms specifically, the panel has called for strict licensing guidelines and age verification mechanisms to limit access to inappropriate content and prevent misuse.
Why Are These Recommendations Coming Up Now?
These proposals come as cybercrime cases continue to rise across the country. Incidents of trolling, stalking, and the spread of AI-generated deepfake videos have grown significantly in recent times.
The parliamentary committee believes that better traceability of online content can help reduce such incidents. The panel has also stressed the need to strengthen the grievance redressal system so that complaints related to online harassment are dealt with faster and more effectively.
It is worth noting that these are recommendations at this stage and have not yet been turned into law. Whether the government acts on them and how platforms like Instagram respond remains to be seen.
