Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that social media platforms must fairly share revenue with content creators and take responsibility for the content they host, while also calling for mandatory user consent for all synthetically generated material.
Speaking at the Conclave 2026 in New Delhi, Vaishnaw has emphasised that platforms have evolved beyond being neutral intermediaries and must now be accountable for harmful content published on their platforms. He has stated that social media companies must ensure a fair share of revenue for content creators, including those in remote regions, influencers, and academics.
He has also underscored the need for user consent in the case of synthetically generated content and has called on platforms to take proactive measures to curb cyber fraud.
Highlighting the broader implications for democracy, Vaishnaw has said that human society and its institutions — including family, judiciary, media, and legislature — have been built on trust. He has noted that this foundational trust is under threat due to emerging challenges such as deepfakes, disinformation campaigns, and synthetically generated images and videos that distort reality.
According to him, the proliferation of such content has begun to erode public confidence in institutions, posing a significant challenge for countries including India as they navigate the evolving digital landscape.
