Karnataka’s Information Disorder Tackling Unit

The Karnataka government has begun working on a unit that will scrutinise complaints and monitor the internet for misinformation and hate speech.

• It comes against the backdrop of the Union government’s attempts to create its own fact-check unit.

About the Plan:

• The plan to create such a unit — named the Information Disorder Tackling Unit — was first announced in June 2023.
• Procedure:
  • Before the fact check is made public, the review a single point of contact (SPOC), appointed by the state government, must first approve initiating a fact check.
• SPOC will also determine if the content violates a social media platform’s policies, is illegal, or needs to be blocked.
  • They will subsequently either inform the social media company, or lodge a complaint (with the police), or refer the matter to the central government to recommend blocking under Section 69A of the Information technology Act, respectively.
• Members:
  • The fact check team will consist of independent fact check agencies whose fact checks must be “unbiased and evidence based”.
  • Its remit will be restricted to the jurisdiction of Karnataka.

Concerns:

• Fact-checking in India can come from public submissions or proactive searches. State-appointed SPOCs must approve the fact-check process.
• If needed, fact-checkers can request information from state departments. After analysis, an internal review takes place.
• The final step involves review by the state-appointed SPOC, which may affect editorial independence due to multiple approvals.

Laws related to fake News:

• The IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 aim to tackle the dissemination of false or misleading information through the introduction of fact-checking units.
• In light of the detrimental impact of fake news, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis, governments worldwide have recognized the urgency to combat this menace.
• India, in particular, has experienced a surge in fake news related to the pandemic, making it crucial for the government to proactively address the issue.

Present Fact-checking Unit Guidelines:

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had previously suggested that news that has been deemed "fake" by the PIB's fact-checking team will not be permitted on online intermediaries.
• The reference to PIB was dropped from the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules 2023.
• The social media companies have submitted a proposal to the Center to establish the Misinformation Combat Alliance - a network of fact-checkers that will verify misleading content on their platforms.
• The alliance will act as a “certification body” that will serve as a means of identifying "trusted" fact-checkers.

Recent proposal:

• Online fact-checking platforms could be required to obtain a registration from the Centre.
• The registration plan could be carried out in phases, with fact-checking units of legacy and reputed media companies being allowed to seek registration in the first phase.
• There is also a plan to not register ‘non-legacy’ fact checking bodies.