Focus on development: Don't divert state capacity to curb free speech

Karnataka government has produced a draft Bill that allows for jail terms of up to seven years for the production of fake news and other problematic content

As internet penetration in India grows and the use of artificial intelligence and deepfakes spreads, the problems to social order and democratic integrity posed by fake news have only grown. Tackling them, however, requires a careful balance. Regulating a quickly developing technical field using a somewhat technologically backward state machinery will certainly create problems. It is necessary, therefore, that authorities in India are cautious about the regulatory steps that they take. Such caution is not on display, unfortunately, in the state of Karnataka at the moment. The state government has produced a draft Bill that allows for jail terms of