Center notifies PIB to serve as official fact-checking agency for online content

The fact-checking unit under PIB was established in November 2019. (representative)

New Delhi:

The Center on Wednesday informed the fact-checking arm of the Press and Information Bureau (PIB) to monitor the accuracy of online content related to the government.

The fact-checking unit has notified under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s Information Technology Rules 2021.

“The Central Government hereby notifies the Fact-Checking Unit of the Press and Information Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as the fact-checking unit of the Central Government for the conduct of the above sub-clause in respect of any business of the Central Government,” the notification said.

The fact-checking team will be the central body to deal with or warn against all fake news or misinformation related to the central government.

The notification comes days after the Bombay High Court refused to restrain the Center from notifying the department. The petition was filed by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and the Editors Guild of India.

The petitioners have moved the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court judgment and the matter is expected to be heard on Thursday.

In April last year, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) released the Rules 2023, which further revised the Information Technology Rules 2021.

Under the new rules, the fact-checking unit will report to social media intermediaries if it discovers or learns of any posts related to government business that are “false,” “false” or contain “misleading” facts.

If online intermediaries want to retain their “safe harbor” (legal immunity from third-party content), they must remove such content.

The fact-checking unit under the PIB was established in November 2019 with the stated objective of acting as a deterrent to the creators and spreaders of fake news and misinformation.

It also provides people with an easy way to report suspicious information related to the Indian government.

The unit’s mission is to counter misinformation about government policies, initiatives and programs through proactive or complaint means.

The department actively monitors, detects and combats disinformation activities to ensure that false information about the government is promptly exposed and corrected.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)