Government to fact check, flag fake news on social media
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday revealed that online firms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google may lose protection under safe harbor if they fail to take down content determined by the government-notified fact-checker as misleading or false information. He also stated that fact-checkers are a reference point to eliminate misinformation.
Why does this story matter?
Identifying and taking down potentially fake and misleading content on the internet is a major concern in this meta era. According to reports, the BJP-led Union government considered making social media and internet companies "accountable" for the "algorithms" they use to tailor content based on user profiles and specific browsing history in December last year.
Details on Centre's new move under IT Rules 2021
The announcement was made while notifying amendments to the contentious IT Rules 2021. Under the rules, the government can notify an entity through Meity, which will then serve as the fact-checker for all online content pertaining to the government. This will allow the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to fact-check any "false," "misleading" information about the Central government and ask media giants to remove it.
Chandrasekhar talks about potential 'dos' and 'don'ts'
The BJP leader also spoke about the potential "dos" and "don'ts" around the fact-checking and added, "We will certainly have an outliner on what the organization will look like. Whether it will be PIB fact check and what will be the dos and don'ts." "We will certainly have that shared as we notify," he added.
Government to pick fact checker: Chandrasekhar
The minister stated that intermediaries have requested that the government inform them of a fact-checker on whom they can rely for conducting their due diligence regarding false information. Chandrasekhar stated that fact-checkers will be notified under Meity in order to assist intermediaries in determining whether an information is false.
PIB unit yet to be notified under IT Rules: Chandrasekhar
Furthermore, the IT minister stated that PIB needs to be informed under the IT Rules to be a fact checker. "Odds are that it will be a PIB fact check unit that will be notified. The reason we have not said PIB fact check explicitly under the rule is that it has not been notified under the IT rule," said Chandrasekhar.
