New Delhi: After a controversy erupted over the Centre’s notification on Thursday that fake news about the central government would be forcibly removed and the agency that would declare content as fake news would be the Press Information Bureau, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday amended the rules. Clarified that there is no mention of “PIB Fact Check” in the notification issued yesterday.
Clarification of the Center on the new amendment in IT rules
Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s response comes against the backdrop of various reports claiming that social media platforms and other intermediaries will be required to comply with the amended Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Conduct) Rules, 2021. Now ensure that the “fake news” articles about the center declared by PIB are removed from their platforms once alerted.
The minister said that the rules do not state that the agency declaring fake news will be PIB Fact Check. “The rules don’t suggest at all that this is going to be a PIB fact check. I think some of the gray areas, or indeed misunderstandings, come from the fact that the original draft of the rules that went out for consultation did not mention the PIB I have spoken.” Fact Check. PIB Fact Check is not mentioned in the rules notified yesterday,” Chandrasekhar told ANI.
IT rules amended on ‘fake news’ related to government business
“So we have to decide whether it will be a new organization with trust and credibility attached to it, or whether we take an old organization and use it to build trust and credibility in the context of a fact,” he said. Let’s reproduce – investigation mission.” Earlier on Thursday, the Center had issued a notification regarding amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Conduct) Rules, 2021 relating to dissemination of false and misleading information in relation to online gaming and government business.
As per the amended rules, it has been made mandatory for intermediaries to make reasonable efforts not to host, publish or share any online game that may cause harm to the user, or that may be passed off as a permitted online game. has not been verified. Online gaming self-regulatory body/bodies designated by the Central Government.
The intermediary shall also ensure that no advertisement or surrogate advertisement or promotion of an online game, which is not a permitted online game, is hosted on its platform. Further, the amended rules now also make it mandatory for intermediaries not to publish, share or host fake, false or misleading information in relation to any central government business.
“These fake, false or misleading information will be identified by the notified fact checking unit of the Central Government. It is to be noted that the existing IT rules already prescribe intermediaries not to host, publish or share any information Efforts are required to be made which is patently false and untrue or misleading in nature, the IT Ministry said in a press note.
“The Rules already impose an obligation on intermediaries to make reasonable efforts not to host, publish or share any information which is false and untrue or misleading in nature,” it added.