The IT ministry is set to appoint a new fact-checking entity that will flag false online content pertaining to the Union government. Any content flagged by this proposed entity as as "fake" or "misleading" will have to be taken down by the "intermediary" platform within three months of the date of such notification to avoid any legal action.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube will have to take down such posts and internet service providers will have to block URLs to the content to have legal immunity against third-party content.
"Government has decided to notify an entity through Meity and that organisation then would be the fact checker for all aspects of content online and only those that are related to the government," Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Thursday.
Announcing the guidelines for online gaming, the minister said that the final rule on the fact-checking unit is still in work.
How will the new entity be different from other fact-checkers?
The new entity, as per the current proposals, will only fact-check and flag content related to the government, unlike regular fact-checkers that cover wider topics. While there's no apparent compulsion on the "intermediary" bodies to take content down even after being flagged by the proposed entity, it will have to take legal responsibility for the particular post.
Will the new entity be managed by PIB fact check?
The Centre, in January this year, had first proposed that any piece of news flagged fake by the fact-checking unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) will have to be taken down by online intermediaries that include social media platforms and internet service providers.
The proposal had been on the back burner following sharp criticism from civil rights activists, the Editors Guild of India, and the News Broadcasters & Digital Association.
The announcements about the new entity, however, don't mention PIB Fact Check.
Who will be members of this unit?
The appointments of the members of the proposed new entity will be made by the Central government. However, the names of who will be the members of this unit and any eligibility requirements have not been shared yet.
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