New Delhi: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday called on social media companies to adopt fair revenue-sharing models for content creators across the country. Addressing the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) Conclave, he said platforms must compensate those who create original content, from established media houses to independent creators working in remote regions.
He emphasised the importance of equitable monetisation of journalism, research and creative industries in order to sustain them. In the opinion of the minister, platforms need user-generated content and should be conscious of the role of news professions, influencers, professors and researchers who use digital platforms to disseminate their work.
Call for fair monetisation models
Vaishnaw noted that social media companies need to put the revenue-sharing principle in its place. He encouraged platforms to reevaluate their current policies and implement systems that have fair payment mechanisms to creators of their intellectual work. He cautioned that unless a voluntary measure is taken, the governments in the entire world have already demonstrated that legal action can be introduced to enforce fair practices.
VIDEO | Delhi: Speaking at the DNPA Conclave 2026, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) says, “Platforms must take responsibility of what they are publishing. Times have gone when a platform could say that they are responsible for the content. Those times have gone… pic.twitter.com/AdnwZdZ40Z
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 26, 2026
Stating the significance of intellectual property, he noted that original work has always led to advancements in science, technology, arts and literature. In the absence of appropriate remuneration, he warned, innovation and creative development would be affected.
Rising threat of deepfakes and disinformation
Another issue that the minister mentioned is the increasing danger of deep fakes and false information on social media. He said the spread of synthetically generated videos and false narratives is eroding public trust in institutions, including the media, judiciary and legislature.
Vaishnaw observed that fake news can go viral in a short period of time, and thus, individuals tend to challenge the systems. He wrote that platforms should ensure responsibility in the content available on their platforms and make effort to prevent harmful content being distributed. Building of the confidence in the institutions of democracy is also necessary to make society stable, he added.