LinkedIn vs Tata Sky: Delhi HC directs LinkedIn to disclose grievance officer details
The Delhi High Court has recently taken action against the social media platform LinkedIn, requesting detailed information about its grievance officers and the procedures they follow when handling complaints
- Jul 13, 2023,
- Updated Jul 13, 2023 6:52 AM IST
The Delhi High Court has recently taken action against the social media platform LinkedIn, requesting detailed information about its grievance officers and the procedures they follow when handling complaints under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules. Justice Prathiba M Singh, presiding over the bench, has also directed LinkedIn to provide the regulations that apply to individuals who create profiles on their platform.
Furthermore, the court has instructed LinkedIn to make the physical and email addresses of their grievance officers readily accessible to the public through their website. These directives came in response to a legal case filed by Tata Sky Ltd against LinkedIn and other entities.
Tata Sky, a prominent Direct-To-Home (DTH) and Pay TV platform in India, went through a rebranding process last year and adopted the name Tata Play to reflect its expanded business ventures. However, the company faced a significant challenge when numerous individuals misrepresented themselves as Tata Sky employees by creating profiles on LinkedIn.
To address this issue, Tata Sky filed a lawsuit against 37 individuals who, despite not being authorised retail sellers of Tata Sky products, falsely portrayed themselves as retailers on their LinkedIn profiles.
In the recent court order, it was stated, "Defendant No. 1 LinkedIn is required to provide the details of its Grievance Officers and the Rules that apply to individuals creating LinkedIn profiles, as per LinkedIn's own policy. Additionally, LinkedIn is instructed to submit the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), if any, followed by the Grievance Officers when addressing complaints received under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021."
“If the Plaintiff has any outstanding issue or suggestions in respect of manner in which the grievances are addressed by the Defendant No 1 (Linkedin), the Plaintiff may also place its own note on record. In addition, it is made clear that the details of the Grievance Officers in terms of 2021 Rules including the physical and email address shall be published openly for the public access on the website of Linkedin,” the court ordered on July 7.
According to the IT Rules, 2021, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has made it mandatory for all social media intermediaries to appoint grievance officers and publicly disclose their contact information.
The significance of grievance officers was further reinforced last year when the government also required the establishment of Grievance Appellate Committees (GACs) to address user complaints against social media intermediaries.
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The Delhi High Court has recently taken action against the social media platform LinkedIn, requesting detailed information about its grievance officers and the procedures they follow when handling complaints under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules. Justice Prathiba M Singh, presiding over the bench, has also directed LinkedIn to provide the regulations that apply to individuals who create profiles on their platform.
Furthermore, the court has instructed LinkedIn to make the physical and email addresses of their grievance officers readily accessible to the public through their website. These directives came in response to a legal case filed by Tata Sky Ltd against LinkedIn and other entities.
Tata Sky, a prominent Direct-To-Home (DTH) and Pay TV platform in India, went through a rebranding process last year and adopted the name Tata Play to reflect its expanded business ventures. However, the company faced a significant challenge when numerous individuals misrepresented themselves as Tata Sky employees by creating profiles on LinkedIn.
To address this issue, Tata Sky filed a lawsuit against 37 individuals who, despite not being authorised retail sellers of Tata Sky products, falsely portrayed themselves as retailers on their LinkedIn profiles.
In the recent court order, it was stated, "Defendant No. 1 LinkedIn is required to provide the details of its Grievance Officers and the Rules that apply to individuals creating LinkedIn profiles, as per LinkedIn's own policy. Additionally, LinkedIn is instructed to submit the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), if any, followed by the Grievance Officers when addressing complaints received under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021."
“If the Plaintiff has any outstanding issue or suggestions in respect of manner in which the grievances are addressed by the Defendant No 1 (Linkedin), the Plaintiff may also place its own note on record. In addition, it is made clear that the details of the Grievance Officers in terms of 2021 Rules including the physical and email address shall be published openly for the public access on the website of Linkedin,” the court ordered on July 7.
According to the IT Rules, 2021, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has made it mandatory for all social media intermediaries to appoint grievance officers and publicly disclose their contact information.
The significance of grievance officers was further reinforced last year when the government also required the establishment of Grievance Appellate Committees (GACs) to address user complaints against social media intermediaries.
Also Read
Battle of the billionaires: Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg cage match could make over $1 billion
Google appeals to Supreme Court to quash antitrust directives on Android in India
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine