Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has issued a sharp message to tech platforms over the most debated revenue share issue and emphasised a fair revenue share model to create a win-win situation. Speaking at the DNPA Conclave 2026, Vaishanw asked digital platforms to ensure a fair share of revenue for content creators and added that the government won’t shy away from bringing a legal framework to enforce it.

“The platforms must also share revenue in a fair way with the people who are creating the content — whether it is news persons, conventional media, creators sitting in far-flung areas, influencers, professors or researchers,” he said.

The minister’s address indicates that issues of revenue fairness, content accountability, and online safety could come together as part of a broader regulatory reset for India’s digital ecosystem.

For publishers and creators who have long maintained that platform dominance has skewed revenue distribution, Vaishnaw’s speech represents one of the government’s clearest endorsements yet of the need to rebalance digital economics — voluntarily if possible, and through legislation if necessary.

The remarks are widely interpreted as a signal that India may consider regulatory mechanisms similar to global models that require technology platforms to compensate news publishers for the use of their content.

Describing the situation as an ‘inflexion point in the entire world of media,’ Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw framed the revenue debate as part of a larger crisis confronting modern media.  

Warning tech companies, Vaishnaw said in clear terms, “I would request all platforms to reconsider their revenue-sharing policies, as this is a major concern for society today. If this is not done voluntarily, there are several countries that have shown how it can be done through legal means.”

He added that it is necessary to frame a policy for this. Those who hold copyright and create original content own intellectual property, and it must be respected. If intellectual property is not respected, society will not be able to progress, he said.

Emphasising credibility and trust, Vaishnaw said, “The entire human society is built upon trust in institutions” and added, “When that trust erodes, the very foundation of society begins to weaken.”

Speaking on the role of news media in changing times, Union Minister Vaishnaw said that the entire human society rests on institutions of trust. This trust begins within the family and extends to institutions such as social identity systems, the judiciary, the media, and the legislature. Different organs and institutions of society function on the principle of trust.

For media houses as well, the fundamental principle is to remain fair and responsible. However, the media faces serious challenges today, such as deepfakes and the spread of misinformation. Every society is grappling with such threats. Protecting institutions that have existed for centuries from these dangers is a major challenge.

He emphasised that online safety is crucial in this regard. Ensuring the authenticity of news, protecting children, and safeguarding against synthetic content are equally important, and decisive steps need to be taken to address these issues.

“Platforms must wake up, must understand the importance of reinforcing trust in the institutions which human society has created over thousands of years. Platforms must take the responsibility for the content that is hosted by them. The online safety of children, the online safety of all citizens is the responsibility of the platforms. Non-adherence to these principles will definitely make them responsible because the nature of Internet has changed now. And synthetic content should not be generated without the consent of the person whose face or voice or personality has been used to create the content. Time has come to make that big inflectional change. And I will request the platforms to cooperate with this human society’s basic need and the society which is today asking for this change has to be respected,” he said.

Vaishnaw warned that deepfakes, disinformation campaigns, and synthetically generated videos are increasingly undermining public faith in institutions, including the media. He stated that creating videos with no correlation to reality and generating synthetic content of respected personalities without their consent are serious concerns. Such practices, he said, directly challenge societal trust.

“The nature of the internet has changed…It is no longer just an open-source exchange of information. It has become a powerful media outlet. The times are gone when a platform could say it is not responsible for the content,” he said.

The minister argued that platforms must take responsibility for illegal, harmful, or algorithmically amplified content. “Are they promoting fake content? Are they causing harm to children? Are they inciting crimes? These are questions platforms must now answer,” he said.