No sweeping power or a draconian move: MoS IT on govt’s fact-checking unit

Independent MP Kapil Sibal has raised questions on the IT ministry’s transfer to arrange a fact-checking unit and filter data primarily based on its analysis.

Sibal had tweeted: “Now PIB will resolve what’s faux and what’s not and notify it. If on-line platforms select to disregard, they may lose their immunity from prosecution. Now the federal government to resolve what’s faux and what’s not!”

After the ultimate amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021 had been notified, the IT Ministry will kind a “reality checking unit” to cease the circulate of misinformation in regards to the authorities.

Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, on Saturday defended new IT guidelines saying they “already present for social media platforms to make sure 9 varieties of content material to be prevented on their platforms, together with Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and misinformation, and many others to qualify for authorized immunity below the Section 79 of the IT Act”.

The authorities won’t ask intermediaries to take away content material, however solely label it as faux, patently false or deceptive, defined the minister.

“Our objective is to make sure that the Internet is secure and trusted for all our digital nagriks,” he burdened, saying that no social media platform can “ever violate the basic rights of the residents of India”.

“The fact-checking unit will flag misinformation and patently false data pertaining to the federal government,” the Minister posted in a tweet.” However, then “the aggrieved division may have the best to pursue its case in a court docket of regulation below related sections of the regulation,” stated Chandrasekhar.

According to Chandrasekhar, it is going to be mentioned if the brand new fact-checking unit will probably be below the Press Information Bureau(PIB) or will probably be a wholly new unit.

(With inputs from IANS)