India Seeks Tougher Action From Google, FB, Twitter On ‘Fake News’

New Delhi: The Indian government is not happy with top US tech giants.

Officials held heated discussions with Google, Twitter and Facebook for not removing ‘fake news’ from their platforms, Reuters reported.

The news agency quoted two sources as saying that Information and Broadcasting (I & B) ministry officials strongly criticised the tech majors as their lack of action on fake news was forcing Indian government to order content being taken down — which evoked international criticism that authorities were suppressing free expression.

The virtual meeting, which reportedly took place on Monday, saw tense and heated exchanges, though no ultimatum was issued.

The I & B ministry recently used emergency powers to block 55 channels on Google’s YouTube platform, besides some Twitter and Facebook accounts. The Centre’s contention was that the channels were promoting ‘fake news’ or ‘anti-India’ content and the disinformation was being spread by accounts based in Pakistan.

The Union government last year brought in new IT Rules to deal with social media and OTT platforms, making it mandatory for all companies to issue transparency reports regularly.