The ministry of electronics & information technology (MeitY) will hold a consultation on January 24, with regard to a proposed amendment in the IT rules that empowers its authorised agencies such as the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to guide social media platforms, as well as other intermediaries, to take down ‘fake or false’ content.
“As is the practice meticulously followed by the government, these amendments will also be put through open consultations — to reflect, discuss and deliberate on these amendments or any other such effective means through which we can prevent misinformation/patently wrong information circulated on the internet by state/non-state actors,” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of state for electronics & IT. “The draft amendments to IT Rules are in pursuance of our commitment to an open, safe, trusted and accountable internet. We have circulated amendments for consultation with stakeholders,” he added.
Comments and suggestions on both the amendments can be submitted, on both online gaming and fact checking information by January 25 through the MyGov platform.
According to Section 3 (1) (b) (v) of the IT rules, an intermediary shall make reasonable efforts to cause the user of its computer resource not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share any information that deceives or misleads the addressee about the origin of the message, or knowingly and intentionally communicates any misinformation or information which is ‘patently false and untrue or misleading in nature’.
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In the new draft amendment introduced on Tuesday, the government proposed an addition: “Or is identified as fake or false by the fact check unit at the Press Information Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or other agency authorised by the Central Government for fact-checking or, in respect of any business of the Central Government, by its department in which such business is transacted under the rules of business made under clause (3) of article 77 of the Constitution.” Several experts have expressed concerns over the government’s control over the narrative of news flow and other content once such a rule is implemented.
