Karnataka govt to take all measures, including use of AI, to curb fake news

"We will also bring in necessary laws, in case there is no provision to punish those involved in such cases, under the existing laws," K'taka HM said

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the state government is ready to take all measures required to curb 'fake news', including use of technology like 'Artificial Intelligence' (AI), aimed at taking such cases to a "logical end".

He said, the government is ready to bring in necessary laws, in case there is no provision to punish those involved in such cases, under the existing legislations.

"Some people are involved in spreading fake news, whether it is on political issues or on those aimed at disturbing peace in the society. We have observed that fake news are posted on various platforms and social media. Photographs are morphed aimed at projecting it to be linked to some sensitive issue, to which the photo is actually unrelated," Parameshwara said.

Speaking to reporters here , he said, "we have observed this during the elections and even now after the formation of the government. If we don't stop it, it may lead to several kinds of wrong notions whether at personal level or social or government level, and its impact may be huge."

"So we have decided to take all kinds of measures -- by using technology like Artificial Intelligence, to identify those posting such things, their origins, their intention, and finally take necessary legal action. We will take it to a logical end. We will also bring in necessary laws, in case there is no provision to punish those involved in such cases, under the existing laws," he added.

New issues are cropping up frequently with respect to cyber crime, Parameshwara said, adding, in some cases there may be no provisions under the existing cyber laws to enforce control measures, and have to be amended regularly, as technology is changing every day.

"So we will bring in amendments if necessary, if there are provisions in existing laws, amendments will not be required," he added.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently issued strict instructions to the authorities for crackdown on fake news.

Following this, Parameshwara said last week the government would soon hold discussions with social media sites and platforms such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram among others, aimed at controlling sensitive and inciting posts that may lead to communal flare-ups.

He had also said that discussions are underway regarding setting up of a cyber security wing at every police station to address the issues at the jurisdiction level itself, and to bring down the number of such cases.