IT Rules against fake news: Bombay HC to deliver verdict on pleas on Jan 31
11 months, 1 week ago

IT Rules against fake news: Bombay HC to deliver verdict on pleas on Jan 31

Live Mint  

The Bombay High Court extended by two weeks the pronounce its verdict on Monday in connection with the pleas filed by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and others challenging the 2023 amendment of Information Technology Rules for Intermediaries. The IT rules provide for the setting up of the Fact Checking Unit to identify and flag fake, false and misleading facts on social media. As per the amended rules, “These fake, false or misleading information will identified by the notified Fact Check Unit of the Central Government. The Union government had earlier assured the court that until judgment in the case was delivered, the Centre would not notify the Fact Checking Unit.

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History of this topic

Why has Bombay HC invalidated Centre’s proposed ‘fact-checking’ unit? | Explained
3 months ago

Why has Bombay HC invalidated Centre’s proposed ‘fact-checking’ unit? | Explained

The Hindu  

On September 20, the Bombay High Court struck down as “unconstitutional” and “vague” the amended Information Technology Rules, 2021, which empowered the Centre to establish a “Fact Check Unit” to identify “fake or false or misleading” online content about the government and its establishments. Following the split verdict, the Chief Justice of the High Court appointed Justice Chandurkar to hear …

Bombay HC strikes down Centre’s bid to set up fact check unit
3 months ago

Bombay HC strikes down Centre’s bid to set up fact check unit

Hindustan Times  

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Friday struck down provisions that empowered the central government to set up a “fact check unit” to take down online content deemed fake or misleading. Standup Comedian - Kunal Kamra In his referral order, Justice AS Chandurkar opined: “The amendments are violative of Article 14 and Article 19 of the Constitution of India.” His …

Bombay HC strikes down provisions for setting up FCU to monitor social media
3 months ago

Bombay HC strikes down provisions for setting up FCU to monitor social media

Hindustan Times  

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday struck down provisions for setting up a Fact Checking Unit to monitor content on social media, as the third judge in his referral verdict ruled against the 2023 amendments to the Information Technology Rules. Satirist Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India and the Association of Indian Magazines had filed petitions challenging the …

Bombay HC sets aside IT amendment rules on govt’s fact-check unit
3 months ago

Bombay HC sets aside IT amendment rules on govt’s fact-check unit

Live Mint  

Mumbai: A single-judge bench of the Bombay high court on Friday set aside the IT Amendment Rules, 2023, which allows the central government to form fact-check units. Justice A.S. Chandurkar's order breaks the tie of the split verdict given earlier by a two-judge bench of the high court regarding the validity of the IT amendment rules. The top court also …

Govt itself is best positioned to fact-check false info: Vaishnaw
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Govt itself is best positioned to fact-check false info: Vaishnaw

Hindustan Times  

IT and information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reiterated the government’s stance that the government itself is best positioned to fact check misleading and false information about itself when questioned about the Press Information Bureau’s controversial fact check unit in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Govt itself is best positioned to fact-check false info: Vaishnaw Trinamool Congress’s Dola Sen asked …

Do we need to fact-check the fact-checker?
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Do we need to fact-check the fact-checker?

Live Mint  

The Centre has notified a fact-checking unit to flag ‘misinformation’ about the government, with powers to issue directives. The fact-checking unit was notified under the Centre’s Press Information Bureau, giving the government body power to flag any information about the government and its affiliates that it believes to be fake or misleading. Lawyers say using legal clauses further threatens social …

SC stays govt’s notification on setting up fact check unit
9 months ago

SC stays govt’s notification on setting up fact check unit

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Centre's notification on setting up a fact-checking unit to regulate content on social media that involves the government's business. The top court also set aside the Bombay high court's 13 March interim order, which had refused to restrain the government from forming the unit. The provisions also allow the government to …

Supreme Court stays IT Ministry’s notification establishing fact check unit under PIB to identify fake news
9 months ago

Supreme Court stays IT Ministry’s notification establishing fact check unit under PIB to identify fake news

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on March 21 stayed a government notification of March 20 establishing the Press Information Bureau’s Fact Checking Unit to act as a “deterrent” against the creation and dissemination of fake news or misinformation regarding the “business” of the Centre. The Bench said the implementation of the March 20, 2024 notification would remain stayed until a third judge …

Supreme Court stays Centre's notification of Fact Check Unit after Kunal Kamra files plea
9 months ago

Supreme Court stays Centre's notification of Fact Check Unit after Kunal Kamra files plea

Hindustan Times  

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Centre's notification on setting up a fact-checking unit under the Press Information Bureau to identify fake news about the Union government saying the challenge to the FCU involves serious Constitutional questions. Standup comedian Kunal Kamra has moved the Supreme Court against the Bombay high court verdict. A bench headed by Chief Justice of …

Govt notifies Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit under IT Rules
9 months ago

Govt notifies Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit under IT Rules

Hindustan Times  

NEW DELHI: The ministry of electronics and information technology on Wednesday notified the Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit as the fact check unit of the central government to vet all online content related to the business of the central government, a move that comes days after the Bombay high court on March 13 declined to restrain the Centre from …

IT Ministry notifies contentious fact check unit to dispute government misinformation
9 months ago

IT Ministry notifies contentious fact check unit to dispute government misinformation

The Hindu  

Weeks ahead of the elections, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Wednesday notified the Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit as the designated body to flag misinformation about Central government departments to social media platforms. “This could seriously threaten the independence of the free press on the Indian internet,” the Internet Freedom Foundation said last September on the …

Centre notifies PIB’s fact check unit under IT rules
9 months ago

Centre notifies PIB’s fact check unit under IT rules

Hindustan Times  

The central government on Wednesday notified the setting up of a fact-checking unit to monitor content on social media concerning its business under the recently amended Information Technology Rules. “The Central Government hereby notifies the Fact Check Unit under the Press Information Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as the fact check unit of the Central Government for …

Supreme Court To Hear Tomorrow Pleas Of Kunal Kamra, Editors Guild To Restrain Centre From Notifying 'Fact Check Unit' Under IT Rules 2023
9 months ago

Supreme Court To Hear Tomorrow Pleas Of Kunal Kamra, Editors Guild To Restrain Centre From Notifying 'Fact Check Unit' Under IT Rules 2023

Live Law  

The Supreme Court will hear tomorrow a batch of petitions challenging the Information Technology Amendment Rules 2023, which enable the Central Government to create a Fact Check Unit.As per the amendment, social media intermediaries should take down any information related to the Central Government's. The Supreme Court will hear tomorrow a batch of petitions challenging the Information Technology Amendment Rules …

Centre notifies Fact Check Unit under PIB
9 months ago

Centre notifies Fact Check Unit under PIB

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: A week after the Mumbai High Court refused to stay the formation of Fact Check Unit, the Centre on Wednesday notified the division under the Press Information Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. A division bench comprising Justice Gautam Patel and Justice Neela Gokhale of the High Court on March 13 dismissed the applications seeking a …

Centre set to notify fact check unit
9 months ago

Centre set to notify fact check unit

Hindustan Times  

The ministry of electronics and information technology is all set to notify the setting up of a fact-checking unit to monitor content on social media concerning the business of the Union government under the recently amended Information Technology Rules, officials familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Last week, the Bombay high court refused to restrain the Centre from notifying …

EGI, Kamra challenge HC order refusing stay on fact check unit
9 months, 1 week ago

EGI, Kamra challenge HC order refusing stay on fact check unit

Hindustan Times  

The Editors Guild of India and satirist Kunal Kamra have challenged the Bombay high court order that refused to grant a stay on the creation of the government-led fact check unit as a third judge decided on whether the amendment itself is ultra vires and unconstitutional. They have moved a special leave petition in the Supreme Court They have moved …

Bombay High Court rejects Kunal Kamra's plea to restrict GoI from notifying Fact Check Unit
9 months, 1 week ago

Bombay High Court rejects Kunal Kamra's plea to restrict GoI from notifying Fact Check Unit

Op India  

On 13th March, the Bombay High Court allowed the Government of India to notify the Fact Check Unit. The court rejected the application filed by self-proclaimed stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and others challenging the constitutionality of the FCU under Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023. Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild, the News Broadcast Digital Association, and the Association of Indian Magazine …

Bombay HC rejects applications on Centre’s Fact-Check Unit under latest IT Rules
9 months, 1 week ago

Bombay HC rejects applications on Centre’s Fact-Check Unit under latest IT Rules

The Hindu  

In a setback for the petitioners in the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023, the Bombay High Court on March 13 refused to accept applications seeking stay on the Union government’s Fact-Check Unit. The interim application was filed by satirist Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India, the Association of Indian Magazines and News Broadcasters & Digital Association seeking stay on …

Bombay High Court refuses to grant interim stay on setting up of fact-checking unit
9 months, 1 week ago

Bombay High Court refuses to grant interim stay on setting up of fact-checking unit

The Hindu  

The Bombay High Court on March 11 refused to issue an interim stay on the formation of a Fact-Check Unit by the Union government. A single-judge Bench of Justice A.S. Chandurkar, the tie-breaker judge in the case after a split verdict was delivered by the court on January 31, said “no case was made out” for the Union government to …

Bombay High Court reserves the interim application in IT amendment rules 2023
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Bombay High Court reserves the interim application in IT amendment rules 2023

The Hindu  

After two days of hearing on Central government’s Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023, the Bombay High Court on Thursday reserved the order on interim application filed by satirist Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India, the Association of Indian Magazines and News Broadcast and Digital Association seeking stay on the notification for formation of Fact Check Unit. The rules empower …

Framework for independent fact checking network announced
1 year, 1 month ago

Framework for independent fact checking network announced

Hindustan Times  

The Misinformation Combat Alliance, a network of Indian fact checkers, has announced a framework for an independent Fact Checking Network to develop self-governing standards and best practices for fact-checking organisations in India. HT Image In a statement, the alliance said: “The FCN has a robust Code of Principles that is meant to provide Indian fact checkers with the guidance they …

Plea in Madras High Court challenges constitution of Fact Check Unit by T.N. government
1 year, 1 month ago

Plea in Madras High Court challenges constitution of Fact Check Unit by T.N. government

The Hindu  

A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court, challenging the constitution of a Fact Checking Unit by the Tamil Nadu government, alleging that it is ab attack on the freedom of speech, and an attempt to curb the voice of Opposition parties. To get today’s top stories from the State in your inbox, subscribe to …

Retrograde step: The Hindu Editorial on government fact-checking units
1 year, 1 month ago

Retrograde step: The Hindu Editorial on government fact-checking units

The Hindu  

Misinformation and its more malicious variant, disinformation, have been the bane of today’s unfettered communication system, especially social media where the necessary filters are rarely applied over the spread of news and views, many of which are based on false information deliberately or ignorantly placed. The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to constitute a fact-checking unit to deal with “misinformation and …

Tamil Nadu’s new Fact Check Unit with suo motu powers to deal with ‘fake news’ pertaining to government
1 year, 1 month ago

Tamil Nadu’s new Fact Check Unit with suo motu powers to deal with ‘fake news’ pertaining to government

The Hindu  

The Tamil Nadu government has issued orders to form a Fact Check Unit, with 80 staff members, to deal with “misinformation and disinformation pertaining to the State government” emanating from “all media platforms”. According to a Government Order issued last month, the unit can take suo motu cognisance of any information related to the government for fact-checking or act on …

The Bombay High Court’s concerns regarding the Centre’s Fact-Check Unit | Explained
1 year, 2 months ago

The Bombay High Court’s concerns regarding the Centre’s Fact-Check Unit | Explained

The Hindu  

The story so far: The Bombay High Court on September 29 reserved its verdict in a batch of petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023. The Rules permit a fact check unit of the Union Government to identify “fake or false or misleading” online content “related to the business of the Central Government” and demand its …

Will pass order in pleas challenging IT Rules on Dec 1: Bombay HC
1 year, 2 months ago

Will pass order in pleas challenging IT Rules on Dec 1: Bombay HC

The Hindu  

The Bombay High Court on September 29 said it will pass the order on pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the amended Information Technology Rules on December 1. A Division Bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale was hearing a bunch of petitions filed by political satirist Kunal Kamra, Editors Guild of India, and the Association of Indian Magazines …

Amended IT rules offer remedy to victims of fake news: Centre to HC
1 year, 2 months ago

Amended IT rules offer remedy to victims of fake news: Centre to HC

Hindustan Times  

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta on Wednesday told the Bombay high court that the recent amendment to the information technology rules offered a grievance redressal mechanism to the victims of fake news, and false or misleading information on social media platforms. Section 79 of the Information Technology Act grants conditional immunity to the intermediaries and as such they cannot be proceeded …

How the Siddaramaiah government plans to checkmate fake news in Karnataka
1 year, 3 months ago

How the Siddaramaiah government plans to checkmate fake news in Karnataka

The Hindu  

Published : Aug 31, 2023 12:24 IST - 8 MINS READ In a move aimed at tackling the surge of misinformation in Karnataka, the State government has decided to set up a fact-checking unit under the Home Department. Home Minister G. Parameshwara, who has been part of these deliberations over the past two months, also stated in June that the …

Centre says it will not notify fact checking unit till September 4
1 year, 5 months ago

Centre says it will not notify fact checking unit till September 4

The Hindu  

The Centre on July 21 informed the Bombay High Court that it will not notify till September 4 the Fact Check Unit under the recently amended Information Technology Rules to declare content to be fake on social media against the government. I need to make some preparations for that.” The court has heard arguments by advocates of all the petitioners …

Can’t bring hammer to kill ant, Centre’s IT rules against fake news may be excessive: Bombay HC
1 year, 5 months ago

Can’t bring hammer to kill ant, Centre’s IT rules against fake news may be excessive: Bombay HC

The Hindu  

The Bombay High Court on Friday said the Centre’s recently amended Information Technology Rules that includes a provision to constitute a fact-checking unit to flag fake, false or misleading information against the government on social media might be “excessive” and that one cannot “bring a hammer to kill an ant”. Advocate Gautam Bhatia, for the Association of Indian Magazines, said, …

Do the amended IT Rules only apply to social media and not print, asks Bombay HC
1 year, 5 months ago

Do the amended IT Rules only apply to social media and not print, asks Bombay HC

The Hindu  

The Bombay High Court on Thursday while hearing arguments on pleas challenging the constitutional validity of amended IT Rules asked whether the Rules only apply to social media intermediaries and not to print media even if the same content is available on both the platforms. A Division Bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale was hearing a bunch of …

Words like fake, false, misleading in IT Rules problematic: Bombay High Court
1 year, 5 months ago

Words like fake, false, misleading in IT Rules problematic: Bombay High Court

The Hindu  

The Bombay High Court on Friday said words such as “fake, false and misleading” that are part of the new Information Technology Rules are “problematic”. The court said, “The wordings of the IT Rule with words like fake, false and misleading are problematic. Words like fake, false, misleading are used in amendment. Can a site hosting this lose safe harbour …

HC questions govt’s plan for fact check
1 year, 5 months ago

HC questions govt’s plan for fact check

Live Mint  

The Bombay High Court on Friday asked the Centre if it was allowed under law to have a statute with “unbound” and ‘limitless’ discretionary authority. The court’s comments came while hearing a petition filed by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra challenging the Centre’s recent notification on Fact Check Unit to identify fake news under the government’s amendment to the Information Technology …

No matter how laudable the new IT Rules are, if the effect is unconstitutional, they must go: Bombay High Court
1 year, 5 months ago

No matter how laudable the new IT Rules are, if the effect is unconstitutional, they must go: Bombay High Court

The Hindu  

The Bombay High Court on Thursday said that no matter how laudable or high the motives are while framing the new Information Technology Rules, if the effect of a rule or law is unconstitutional then it must go. A division bench of justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale was hearing a bunch of petitions filed by political satirist Kunal Kamra, …

Won’t notify fact-checking unit until July 10: Centre tells Bombay High Court
1 year, 6 months ago

Won’t notify fact-checking unit until July 10: Centre tells Bombay High Court

The Hindu  

The Central government on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that it would not notify the fact-checking unit constituted under the new Information Technology Rules for identifying fake news against the government on social media until July 10. The new Rules require social media intermediaries to censor or otherwise modify content that relates to the Central government, if a government-mandated …

Won't notify fact-checking unit in I-T wing till July 10, Centre tells HC
1 year, 6 months ago

Won't notify fact-checking unit in I-T wing till July 10, Centre tells HC

Deccan Chronicle  

Mumbai: The Centre on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court it was extending till July 10 its earlier statement that it won't notify its fact-checking unit to identify fake news against the government on social media, even as two new petitions were filed challenging the recently amended IT Rules. In view of the dates fixed for hearing, the Additional Solicitor …

No fact-check unit under new IT rules till July 5: Centre to Bombay HC
1 year, 7 months ago

No fact-check unit under new IT rules till July 5: Centre to Bombay HC

Hindustan Times  

The Union government has given an undertaking to the Bombay High Court that it will not constitute a fact-check unit under the new Information Technology Rules, 2023 till July 5, holding off on a controversial new committee that could compel social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to remove posts relating to the Union government. However, when Khambata insisted …

Won't notify fact-checking unit for fake news against government till July 5: Centre tells Bombay High Court
1 year, 7 months ago

Won't notify fact-checking unit for fake news against government till July 5: Centre tells Bombay High Court

The Hindu  

The Union Government told the Bombay High Court on April 27 that it will not notify till July 5, a fact-checking unit to identify fake news against the government on social media under the recently amended Information Technology Rules. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Union Government, told the HC that the fact-checking unit would not be notified …

Fact-checking unit may not curb opinions or satire on social media: Centre tells HC
1 year, 8 months ago

Fact-checking unit may not curb opinions or satire on social media: Centre tells HC

Hindustan Times  

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Friday told the Bombay high court that the role of the fact-checking unit proposed by the Central government will be restricted to the business of the Central government, its policies and programmes, and it may not seek to curb opinions or satire appearing on social media. Comedian - Kunal Kamra The affidavit …

New IT Rules provide an evidence-based-fact-checking system for fake news, says Centre
1 year, 8 months ago

New IT Rules provide an evidence-based-fact-checking system for fake news, says Centre

The Hindu  

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology termed as “premature” political satirist Kunal Kamra’s plea challenging the constitutional validity of the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023 and said the Rules are in “public interest” and provide an evidence-based-fact-checking system for a mechanism to deal with fake or false or misleading information resulting in riots, mob lynching and other heinous crimes. …

It is a new assault on India’s liberty
1 year, 8 months ago

It is a new assault on India’s liberty

The Hindu  

On April 6, 2023, the Union government introduced a new set of measures with a view to crushing fake news and misinformation on the Internet. The amendment grants to the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology unbridled power to create a “fact check unit”, which will identify false or misleading online content that concerns the central government’s business in …

Indian Newspaper Society seeks withdrawal of new rules on fact-checking
1 year, 8 months ago

Indian Newspaper Society seeks withdrawal of new rules on fact-checking

The Hindu  

The Indian Newspaper Society on Wednesday urged the Centre to withdraw the IT Rules amendment notified on April 6, stating that it would have the effect of the government or its designated agency enjoying “absolute” and “arbitrary” power to determine what was fake or not in respect of its own work, and order its takedown from Internet platforms. It also …

Aakar Patel | Fact-checking' by govt & the truth: Sweeping powers to curb dissent?
1 year, 8 months ago

Aakar Patel | Fact-checking' by govt & the truth: Sweeping powers to curb dissent?

Deccan Chronicle  

On April 6, 2023, the Union government passed new rules, allowing it to identify what it thought was any fake or false or misleading content online related to the government. This would be done by a “fact check unit” set up by the government, which would send takedown orders to the social media platforms. The rules would give the government …

New IT Rules an Eyewash. Govt's Solo Fact-Checking Drive Has a Hidden Motive
1 year, 8 months ago

New IT Rules an Eyewash. Govt's Solo Fact-Checking Drive Has a Hidden Motive

The Quint  

Here is where any attempt by the government to be a super gatekeeper on its own content becomes suspicious on three counts. First, the government does not have judicial powers over something that is a fundamental right to be supervised by none less than the Supreme Court or courts functioning under its supervision. Thirdly, any word like "misleading" being used …

Draconian rules: The Hindu Editorial on the impact of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023
1 year, 8 months ago

Draconian rules: The Hindu Editorial on the impact of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023

The Hindu  

April 10, 2023 12:20 am | Updated 08:39 am IST With the advent of social media — the product of the evolution of the Internet into a sphere of communication that allows for relatively unfettered user-generated content — the problem of misinformation has taken a grotesque form. In the IT Amendment Rules, 2023, the Union government has added a provision …

Minister reacts to Yechury's ‘draconian’ tweet over IT rules for ‘fake’ news
1 year, 8 months ago

Minister reacts to Yechury's ‘draconian’ tweet over IT rules for ‘fake’ news

Hindustan Times  

Minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday once again dismissed concerns that the amendments to the Information Technology Rules, 2021, would lead to censorship and lashed out at CPI general secretary Sitaram Yechury for terming it a “draconian and anti-democratic” move. “Modi govt's Executive amendments to the Rules of the IT Act is a direct attack …

‘Disturbed’ by recently amended IT rules: Editors Guild of India
1 year, 8 months ago

‘Disturbed’ by recently amended IT rules: Editors Guild of India

Hindustan Times  

The Editors Guild of India has said it is “disturbed” by recently amended Information Technology rules, which have been notified by the Centre, claiming, it will give the government “sweeping powers.” Union minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT on Thursday notified amendments to the contentious IT rules, 2021, inserting …

'Govt Has Given Itself Absolute Power': Editor's Guild on New IT Amendment Rules
1 year, 8 months ago

'Govt Has Given Itself Absolute Power': Editor's Guild on New IT Amendment Rules

The Quint  

In a statement issued on 7 April, the Editor's Guild of India — one of India's leading body of news editors dedicated to "protecting press freedom" in the country — has expressed concerns over the new IT Amendment Rules notified by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on 6 April. "The government has given itself absolute power to determine …

PIB fact-check unit’s ambit will be limited to content about Centre, officials say
1 year, 11 months ago

PIB fact-check unit’s ambit will be limited to content about Centre, officials say

The Hindu  

The mandate of the Press Information Bureau’s fact-check unit is to examine the veracity of only the contents related to the Central government ministries and organisations, and will remain so even when it is empowered to get any fake content removed from the social media platforms, according to government officials. A draft amendment to the Information Technology Rules, 2021, provides …

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