Have right to label content when it enters public domain: Priyank Kharge

The fake news bill is under review, with an expert-only panel and public consultation planned before finalising provisions, says Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge

The Karnataka government has not yet released any version of the so-called Misinformation and Fake News (Prohibition) Bill because it is going through interdepartmental consultations, after which it will be released for public comments, the state’s information technology minister, Priyank Kharge, tells Aashish Aryan in an interview.

 

Kharge, in New Delhi earlier this month to hold a roadshow promoting the Bangalore Tech Summit, says the panel to determine whether a piece of content constitutes misinformation, disinformation, or fake news will not have any government official. Edited excerpts:

 

What is the status of the fake news Bill?

 

It is undergoing interdepartmental consultations. And it is with me, specifically within the information-technology ministry. The draft that is made public or shared with the press has nothing to do with us. I think it is based on a private Bill introduced by a member in Parliament.

 

What will be some of the salient features of the Bill?

 

We are clear that any piece of information that is either floated in the public domain or exists and is creating chaos or misgivings in society will be labelled “misinformation”, “disinformation”, “malinformation”, or “fake news”. Furthermore, if the content falls in any of these categories, we will verify whether it violates any law. If it is breaking a law, we will take action.

 

There will be a group of experts to do these classifications. There will be no one from the government on this panel. However, if members of the media wish to participate on the panel, they are welcome. Once the panel members decide on a particular classification for the Bill, we will send it for legal consultation.

 

We will act only if, after legal consultation, the experts determine that this piece of information is disruptive and attracts specific provisions of either state laws or the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

 

There are seven people on the panel now, and we can expand its strength. All the people there have been taken on board through tendering. We have people who use technology extensively, those who are into research papers and publications, those who debunk fake news for a living, etc.

 

We will have no involvement in private communication between two individuals. However, the moment a piece of information enters the public domain, we have the right to act on it.

 

But there are no objective definitions of misinformation, disinformation, or fake news?

 

There are. Let’s take misinformation. Every year on August 15, you receive a message that our national anthem has been selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) as the best national anthem. We can debunk it and say that Unesco does not do such classifications. That is harmless.

 

Now, there is a piece of information that has been deliberately distorted by a public figure, say, a parliamentarian, to create communal unrest. That is misinformation with a malicious intent, which is creating animosity. How do we clarify it? We bucket it as malinformation.

 

Similarly, fake news refers to content that has been created by a company or agency with a licence to produce news. During Operation Sindoor, for example, several regional news channels played clips that Bengaluru or Mumbai would be under attack. That creates panic. So we classify them outright as fake news.

 

What is the next step in Karnataka’s electronics journey?

 

The idea is to get the entire supply chain. While we have big names assembling phones and other devices, manufacturing takes place in other locations. A phone has more than 1,000 components, some of which are of military-grade quality.

 

It is not just about original-equipment manufacturers coming but the entire supply chain coming. We have been successful in creating micro, small, and medium enterprises that will cater to them in materials, gases, and chemicals.

 

Is there a tussle between Karnataka and other states for technology investment? There was a spat between two ministers on global capability centres.

 

I will not call it a spat. It is an opportunity for them (other states) also to pull up and pluck some investment from us. Karnataka’s ecosystem is mature, and therefore, it is the common nemesis for all the states.

 

We compete with Maharashtra for foreign direct investment, and Telangana competes with us for information-technology exports and startups. Andhra Pradesh is competing with us for space and other technology investment, while we compete with Tamil Nadu for manufacturing and with Kerala in academia.

 

We are the common one for everyone, but they do not compete with each other in that sense. It is a good thing for us because it helps us reinvent ourselves and stay ahead of the curve.