New Delhi: To check misuse of matrimonial websites, the government wants them to mandatorily authenticate users with true copies of identity and address proofs, check posting of obscene materials and guard against becoming dating platforms.
IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today approved an advisory on functioning of the matrimonial websites, which will give details about the set of rules they need to follow to check abuse on their platforms, official sources said.
“Matrimonial websites are intermediary under section 2 of Information Technology Act and they are mandated to follow IT Act,” a source said.
This comes days after Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development Maneka Gandhi said that online abuse and trolling of women in India should be treated as violence against them and cited example of women in online matrimonial ads who were “targeted with dirty calls late at night, harassed and stalked.”
She added that companies running online matrimonial services “refused to cooperate” and she had to route this request through the Telecom Ministry to “protect women and reveal details of abusers.”
Back in December 2014, Maneka Gandhi’s ministry had suggested that Aadhaar should be used to authenticate profiles on matrimonial sites.
As per the advisory, matrimonial websites will need to confirm the “user’s intent to enter in to matrimonial alliance” and “confirm that the user information is correct to the best his or her knowledge” when they register to join the platform.
With this advisory coming in place, users of matrimonial websites will be required to submit or upload true copies of supporting documents such as proof of identity and address for the purpose of user verification. “It is advisable that matrimonial websites should provide a list of legally verifiable document which shall serve proof of identity,” the advisory said.
The users will also be required to confirm their intent for using the platform, it said.
The new advisory clearly bars websites to disguise dating platform as matrimonial websites.
The advisory also said that “service providers should make a declaration that website is strictly for matrimonial purpose only and not a dating website and should not be used for posting obscene material.”
Government has advised that matrimonial websites should caution users against possible fraudsters and encourage users to report any fraudulent activity on the website.
It said that users need to verify credentials of the statements that matrimonial websites do not authenticate about any profile unless specifically stated.
Matrimonial websites under new rules will be required to name grievances redressal officer on their portals.
Besides, the new rule mandates “matrimonial websites should store IP address of profile creator for one year from the date of activation,” it said.
