NEW DELHI, Dec 12: The government has strengthened the framework to combat fake news and deepfakes across media platforms, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
In response to the questions asked by Mohammed Nadimul Haque (Trinamool Congress), the Union Minister said free speech was protected under Article 19(1) of the Constitution. “The government is cognisant of the increasing instances of fake, false, misleading information, and AI-generated deepfakes across media platforms, which can adversely impact democratic processes and public order,” the minister said.
Stating that a broad statutory and institutional framework already existed to address fake news across various media platforms, the Minister said TV channels follow the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, which prohibits content that was obscene, defamatory, deliberately false, or that contains suggestive innuendos and half-truths.
The rules framed under the Act establish a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism to address violations. Level I is self-regulation by the broadcasters; Level II is regulation by broadcasters’ self-regulatory bodies; and Level III is the oversight mechanism by the Central government. The violation of the Programme Code is addressed through advisories, warnings, apology scrolls, temporary off-air directions, etc, he said.
For the print media, Norms of Journalistic Conduct issued by the Press Council of India (PCI) restrain the publication of fake, defamatory, or misleading news. It can inquire into alleged violations of the norms, examine complaints, and take measures such as warning, admonishing, or censuring the newspaper, editors, journalists, etc.
There is Code of Ethics under Information Technology Rules 2021 for publishers of news and current affairs on digital media. The intermediaries must prevent users from sharing misinformation or information that is patently false and untrue or misleading in nature. A three-tier grievance redressal mechanism for adherence to the Code of Ethics is also provided.
The Fact Check Unit (FCU) has been set up under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to check fake news related to the Union government. It verifies the authenticity of news from authorised sources in Ministries/ Departments of the Government of India, while FCU then posts correct information on its social media platforms.
“The government is strengthening institutions and the trust that forms the foundation of society. Its approach is to safeguard the creative freedom while addressing the harms caused by misinformation,” the Minister said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
