From the first day of the introduction of ‘The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021’, it became a matter of discussion and disagreement in India. Almost one year back, France also introduced “Lutte Contre La Haine Sur Internet (Fighting hate on the internet)" on May 13, 2020, to regulate social media. And the same sort of uproar was observed over there. Both countries have been advocates of free speech for a long and have a strong association with democratic values. Hence question emerges what led the government to frame these rules? Are those rules on the same line, or do they differ in nature and intent? It is important to know whether the challenge is being presented before social media or if social media has become a threat to society in certain cases. Some similarities and differences have been seen in both countries' laws related to social media. However, it was found that both countries used these laws more to control terrorism and hate speech.

Hate Speech, Digital Media, Freedom of Speech and Expression, Media Control, and Media Freedom.