India
Pib: PIB gets powers to fact-check and order social media cos to take down fake/misleading info on central govt | India News
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NEW DELHI: The IT Ministry on Thursday notified a new rule that will give powers to the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to fact-check any “fake, or false, or misleading” information about the central government and thereafter ask it to be taken down by social-media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google.
If the companies refuse to abide by the order of the PIB fact-check, they will lose their safe harbour immunity that guarantees them protection against any illegal or false content posted by users on their platforms.
The changes, which had raised controversy earlier when they were proposed as part of amendments to the IT Rules 2021, would see the creation of a fact-check unit within the PIB, that would keep a check on any misleading or fake information with relation to the workings of the central government.
The move had been criticised by the Editors Guild of India as well as The News Broadcasters & Digital Association, who had said that the measure will give sweeping powers to the PIB while resulting in “censorship” of the press.
Minister of State for IT & Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the idea behind the measure is “not to censor the media”, but to control the spread of any fake or misleading information which has the potential to go viral when put up on popular social-media platforms.
The Minister said that the PIB currently does not have a fact-checking unit, and this will need to be created now in line with the new rules.
“Let me also add that there is no obligation on the intermediaries to take down the content flagged off by the PIB if they conclude that the fact-check report is erroneous. In this case, they will lose their safe harbour protection, and then the matter will be taken to a court of law.”
The Minister, however, added that “accountability and processes” would also be drawn up for the fact-checking unit of the PIB, as the measure moves ahead now. “It is a clear and sincere effort on the part of the government to tackle the issue of misinformation when it comes to the central government.”
The editors’ guild had opposed the measure when it had been proposed earlier. “The determination of fake news cannot be in the sole hands of the government and will result in the censorship of the press,” the Guild had said in a statement, voicing “deep concern” over the proposed amendments.
If the companies refuse to abide by the order of the PIB fact-check, they will lose their safe harbour immunity that guarantees them protection against any illegal or false content posted by users on their platforms.
The changes, which had raised controversy earlier when they were proposed as part of amendments to the IT Rules 2021, would see the creation of a fact-check unit within the PIB, that would keep a check on any misleading or fake information with relation to the workings of the central government.
The move had been criticised by the Editors Guild of India as well as The News Broadcasters & Digital Association, who had said that the measure will give sweeping powers to the PIB while resulting in “censorship” of the press.
Minister of State for IT & Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the idea behind the measure is “not to censor the media”, but to control the spread of any fake or misleading information which has the potential to go viral when put up on popular social-media platforms.
The Minister said that the PIB currently does not have a fact-checking unit, and this will need to be created now in line with the new rules.
“Let me also add that there is no obligation on the intermediaries to take down the content flagged off by the PIB if they conclude that the fact-check report is erroneous. In this case, they will lose their safe harbour protection, and then the matter will be taken to a court of law.”
The Minister, however, added that “accountability and processes” would also be drawn up for the fact-checking unit of the PIB, as the measure moves ahead now. “It is a clear and sincere effort on the part of the government to tackle the issue of misinformation when it comes to the central government.”
The editors’ guild had opposed the measure when it had been proposed earlier. “The determination of fake news cannot be in the sole hands of the government and will result in the censorship of the press,” the Guild had said in a statement, voicing “deep concern” over the proposed amendments.
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