Fact Check Unit of PIB

Source: PIB
GS II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. Fact Check Unit of PIB
3. Supreme Court’s Stay on Govt’s Fact Check Unit

Why in the News?

Government of India today notified Fact Check Unit (FCU) under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) as the fact check unit of the Central Government.

News in Brief

• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the PIB FCU under the provisions of sub-clause (v) of sub-rule (1) of rule 3 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
• MIB and MeitY have been working closely on the subject to address the challenge of fake news, especially on social media.

Fact Check Unit of PIB

• The Fact Check Unit under PIB was established in November 2019 with the stated objective of acting as a deterrent to creators and disseminators of fake news and misinformation.
• It also provides people with an easy avenue to report suspicious and questionable information about the Government of India.
• FCU is mandated to counter misinformation on Government policies, initiatives and schemes either suo motu or under a reference via complaints.
• The FCU actively monitors, detects, and counters disinformation campaigns, ensuring that false information about the Government is promptly exposed and corrected.
• The PIB Fact Check Unit has also taken measures to ensure the accessibility of the fact-checks to persons with disabilities

Supreme Court’s Stay on Govt’s Fact Check Unit

• What was the argument of the petitioner?
  • The petitioners argues that FCU could potentially be misused by the government to control information available to voters, impacting free speech.
• What is the government’s stand?
  • It would be limited to government business and would not include criticism of the prime minister.
• Verdict
  • The court recognized the potential impact of the Fact-Checking Unit on free speech guaranteed by the Constitution of India.
  • It was delivered by the Bombay High Court about the validity of Rule 3(1)(b)(5) of IT rules 2021, with one judge striking down the rules and another upholding them, a third judge’s decision is pending.
  • The Supreme Court stayed the FCU operation until Bombay High Court arrives at a final decision on the challenge to the amended IT rules.
• What will be the impact?
  • Bombay High Court case would affect the legality of similar FCUs in other states (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttarakhand)

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