PIB Can Flag Fake News On Govt, Ask Twitter & Google To Remove It: IT Ministry

New Delhi: The IT ministry on Thursday notified a new rule that will give powers to the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to fact-check any “fake, or false, or misleading” information about the central government and ask social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to take it down.

If the companies refuse to abide by the order of the PIB fact-check, they will lose the safe harbour immunity that guarantees them protection against any illegal or false content posted by users on their platforms.

The changes, which had generated controversy earlier when they were proposed as part of amendments to the IT Rules 2021, will allow the fact-check unit within PIB to keep tabs on any “misleading” or “fake information” related to the working of the central government. The move had been criticised by the Editors Guild of India as well as The News Broadcasters & Digital Association, which had said that it will give sweeping powers to the PIB while resulting in “censorship” of the press.

Minister of State for IT & Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the idea is “not to censor the media”. “Let me also add that there is no obligation on the intermediaries to take down the content flagged by PIB if .. they conclude that the fact-check report is erroneous. In  this case, they will lose their safe harbour, and the matter will be taken to a court of law.”