New Delhi: Former IT Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday attacked the Center over the fact-checking provisions of the IT Amendment Rules, saying the government will now decide what is fake, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah said democracy was not in danger. Is. Internet companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter may lose safe harbor protection if they do not remove content identified as false or misleading by fact-checkers notified by the government, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Thursday. . Under the IT Amendment Rules, the government has been empowered to create a ‘fact-checking unit’ with wide powers to determine what is “fake, false or misleading” in relation to any central government business.
The ministry has also empowered itself to direct ‘intermediaries’ (such as social media intermediaries, internet service providers and other service providers) not to host such content.
Taking to Twitter, Sibal said, “Online platforms: Now PIB will decide what is fake and what is not and notify it. If online platforms choose to ignore, they will lose their immunity from prosecution. Now government will decide what is fake.” What is and what is not! And Amit Shah ji says that democracy is not in danger!”
Online Platform:
Now PIB will decide what is fake and what is not and inform about it
Online platforms will lose their immunity from prosecution if they choose to ignore
Now the government will decide what is fake and what is not.
And Amit Shah ji says democracy is not in danger! – Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) April 8, 2023
Sibal was referring to Shah’s remarks in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, when he attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent comments in the UK, saying the idea of ”your family” and dynasty politics is in danger rather than democracy. .
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar issues clarification on revised IT rules
Chandrasekhar had said that the IT Ministry will notify a unit that will flag false information posted online related to the government. Issuing the guidelines under IT Rules 2021, the minister had said that the work on fact check is still going on.
On Friday, Chandrasekhar dismissed criticism of the rule change as “deliberate misinformation”.
“There are no sweeping powers – nor is it ‘ruthless’. The IT rules already have provisions from October 2022, which allow social media intermediaries not to post certain types of content to get legal immunity under section 79 of the IT Act. Make it mandatory to carry,” Chandrasekhar had said on Twitter.
The new credible fact-checking unit for all government-related content will help social media moderators, he said.