The government, he said, has taken several steps to keep a check on the spread of fake news, pornographic and anti-national content via social media platforms.
The government is in close coordination with social media networks, but it informed the House that Information Technology Act, 2000, inter alia, has provisions to deal with obscenity and pornography.
The Minister said Sections 66E, 67, and 67A of the Act provide for the punishment and fine for violation of privacy, publishing or transmitting of obscene material and publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit material respectively in electronic form.
Section 67B of the Act specifically provides stringent punishment for publishing, browsing or transmitting child pornography in electronic form, he said.
The minister asserted that the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) are in regular touch with the police to deal with the "menace".
Calling cyberspace a "complex" environment, the minister said, "With a borderless cyberspace coupled with the possibility of instant communication and anonymity, the potential for misuse of cyberspace and social media platforms for criminal activities is a global issue. There are media reports about social media platforms being misused to spread rumours, fake news and defame public personalities."
( With inputs from IANS )