“Centre’s Fact Checking Unit Won’t Affect Free Speech”: Minister To NDTV

New Delhi: The Centre will notify a ‘fact checking unit’ to tackle misinformation and misleading news relating to the government, which will transparently verify whether information about the government is false, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for IT, told NDTV.  The recent amendments to the IT rules, which make it obligatory on platforms “not to publish, share or host fake, false or misleading information” about the government, has come under fire for its alleged ‘draconian’ nature.

The minister dismissed concerns that the amendments would lead to censorship and assured that the fact checks will be done in a credible way.

The fact checking unit will be a befitting response to vested interests from outside who propagate wrong and misleading information, he said, adding that the unit will be a government body that will analyse such information.

“It will be difficult for any external agency to fact-check information related to the government,” Mr Chandrasekhar said, and assured that the fact-checking unit will work responsibly and transparently.

He pointed out that social media intermediaries will have the choice to remove or not remove fake information identified by this government body. However, they will lose immunity against lawsuits if they choose to keep the identified misinformation up and will be open to legal challenges.

“They will have the option to not remove such information, but then Section 79 of the IT Act, which gives them safe harbour for any lawsuit, will be removed,” the minister said and clarified that there would, however, not be any penal provisions.

If the social media intermediaries still want to retain the information flagged by the unit as fake, they would have to explain it in court, he added.

Mr Chandrasekhar said it’s also important for the principle of natural justice that one can make someone accountable for spreading misinformation against them. “You will say I can’t file a case because you are immune. That’s wrong,” he said.

On allegations that it could be used to censor the media, the minister said citizens’ fundamental rights will not be violated. It won’t affect free speech, he assured but added that free speech doesn’t mean that one spreads fake news about a situation.

“Free speech does not mean that you say misleading things in any situation. Fake content then goes viral, and you do false propaganda about the government or individuals. State actors abroad, who are our enemies, publicise such things to subvert our democracy. We are balancing,” he said.

Mr Chandrasekhar called misinformation a danger that must be stopped, while ensuring that free speech is not hindered.

Alleging fake content goes viral more easily than the truth on social media, he said it is necessary to increase the accountability and responsibility of the intermediaries.