Context

The Centre has notified Fact Check Unit (FCU) under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to flag misinformation about Central government departments to social media platforms.

Supreme Court Stays Union Government’s Notification on PIB Fact Check Unit

• In 2023, the Centre amended the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. 
  • The amendment included a provision for a Fact Check Unit to flag fake, false or misleading online content related to the government.
  • The Supreme court said the matter concerns freedom of speech and Expression, adding that the notification must be put on hold.

About PIB Fact Check Unit

• Legal Backing: The PIB Fact Check Unit’s mandate has its origin from the IT Rules of 2021, which state that social media sites risk losing legal liability protections if they fail to address detected misinformation swiftly.
• Statutory body: The Union Electronics and Information Technology Ministry has designated the FCU as a statutory body within the Press Information Bureau.
• Powers of FCU: The FCU has the authority to identify what it perceives to be wrong information about the Central government and its agencies on social media sites.

Key Highlights of the PIB Fact Check Unit

• Function of PIB Fact Check Unit

  • Determination of Information: The unit will determine whether internet information about the Central Government is accurate or not.
  • Identification of Fake Content: The body will be able to identify government-related content on online platforms like Facebook and Twitter as “fake” or “misleading”.

• Mandate of the PIB Fact Check Unit

  • Removal of Content: Content flagged by the unit must be removed if they want to keep their’safe harbour,’ which is legal immunity from third-party content.
  • Blocking of URL: Social media platforms must remove such posts, and internet service providers must block URLs to such content.

• Operational Framework

• • Reporting Authority: The Unit reports to the Principal Director General of the PIB, who also serves as the Government of India’s Principal Spokesperson.
  • Headed by: The unit is headed by a senior director general/additional director general level officer of the Indian Information Service (IIS) and its day-to-day operations are handled by IIS officers at various levels.

Fact Check Mechanism

• Handling Queries: Users submit requests via WhatsApp, email, or a web portal, which are handled as ‘Queries’ by the Unit.
• Process of Verification: Actionable Queries for the Government of India are thoroughly verified utilising official sources and technological tools.
• Fact Check Publication: Verified information is categorized as Fake, Misleading, or True and shared on the Unit’s social media platforms to raise awareness.

Categories of Fact-Checked Content

• Fake: Factually incorrect information intentionally or unintentionally disseminated to deceive or manipulate the audience.
• Misleading: Information presented with partial truths, selective facts, or distortion to mislead recipients.
• True: Information verified to be factually accurate after rigorous investigation.