Page 3 - Fake News

Ratan Tata death: Times when ex-Tata chairman debunked fake news about him

Ratan Tata, the chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, passed away in Mumbai on October 9. Throughout his remarkable social media presence, he actively debunked false news about himself

EC reviews poll preparedness in Maharashtra, seeks action against fake news

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Saturday ordered a crackdown on fake news on social media in Maharashtra, where assembly elections are due later this year, sources said. Reviewing the poll preparedness in Maharashtra along with fellow Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu, Kumar also directed state police officers to speed up investigation in electoral offences filed in the state during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. The Election Commission, which is in Mumbai to review poll preparedness in Maharashtra, met district electoral officers (DEOs), superintendents of police, municipal commissioners, divisional commissioners and other senior officials of the state government. Taking a strong view, the CEC made it clear that the game of fake news on social media will not be allowed to prevail and directed officials to ensure swift response and action against the menace. The CEC reviewed the Assured Minimum Facilities at all polling stations and ..

One person's fact, another's fake news: Media must improve verification too

It will benefit the media to make the standards of fact-checking more rigorous, with information being verified by at least two independent sources

Man smashing Vande Bharat window sparks outrage, but what's the truth?

A video that went viral on social media shows a man breaking Vande Bharat's window glass with a hammer. Several X users demanded strict action against the person

B'deshi journo, woman booked for spreading fake news against Sonia, Rahul

An FIR has been registered by the Bengaluru Police against a Bangladeshi journalist and a woman staffer of an Indian news portal for allegedly spreading fake news and misinformation about Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, both senior Congress leaders. The case was registered at the High Grounds police station against the journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhaury and Aditi - working with the news portal, for sharing his claims on its social media handle, they said. According to the complainant Srinivas G, associated with the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), the Bangladeshi journalist allegedly shared a post on his X handle linking Sonia Gandhi to a foreign spy agency. He alleged Choudhary did so with an intention to malign the public image of the Gandhi family and that the journalist had shared such a post to create enmity between two religions. Srinivas charged Choudhury with having made certain claims about Rahul Gandhi. "B

Merely stating facts not enough to overcome misinformation: Study

Refutational approaches are more effective in combating science misinformation rather than just stating facts, according to a study. Researchers found that among 152 college students exposed to misinformation, those who read an article purely carrying facts retained more misconceptions than those who read an article with a refutation. The findings are published in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching. "Refutational approaches seem to work really well. While it's always best to get out in front as a teacher or communicator, students have smartphones. They're going to run into misinformation quickly. If we take this refutational approach, we're more likely to overcome misinformation," lead author Robert Danielson, a Washington State University educational psychology researcher, said. For the study, the researchers first tested what the student participants knew about putting fluoride in water. The students then read two articles: one with false information saying that ...

CM's fake audio clip being spread to derail peace process: Manipur govt

The Manipur government said a "doctored audio clip" of Chief Minister N Biren Singh is being circulated on social media platforms to incite communal violence and derail the peace process in the state. A press release issued by Manipur government's Directorate of Information and Public Relations on Monday night appealed to general public to not rely on such unfounded contents circulating in social media and news reports and also to refrain from involvement in spreading such false and fabricated information through any media. It warned that people shall be prosecuted under relevant provisions of laws if found involved in spreading such unfounded and baseless content or posting and sharing of such content. An FIR has been registered in the Cyber police station on the doctored audio clip claiming to be that of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh which is being circulated on social media platforms, the release said, adding that investigation is underway. The release said the Manipur ..

Multiple cases registered against Mahant Ramgiri after controversial remark

Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, during a recently held religious event, allegdely made derogatory remarks against Islam and Prophet Mohammed, which created tension between the two communities

Meta ignores pleas, kills off misinformation tracking tool CrowdTangle

Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms has shut down CrowdTangle, a tool widely used by researchers, watchdog organisations and journalists to monitor social media posts, notably to track how misinformation spreads on the company's platforms. Wednesday's shutdown, which Meta announced earlier this year, has been protested by researchers and nonprofits. In May, dozens of groups, including the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, Human Rights Watch and NYU's Center for Social Media & Politics, sent a letter to the company asking that it keep the tool running through at least January so it would be available through the US presidential elections. This decision jeopardizes essential pre- and post-election oversight mechanisms and undermines Meta's transparency efforts during this critical period, and at a time when social trust and digital democracy are alarmingly fragile, the letter said. CrowdTangle, has been an ...

Only Centre can validate facts related to it, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

The Centre is best suited to determine whether a particular fact related to it is correct or wrong, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday while making the government's stand clear on the PIB's Fact Check Unit. He was replying to a supplementary query during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha related to the Supreme Court's stay on the Centre's notification on setting up a fact-checking unit. "The amendment in the IT Intermediary Rules which has been stayed by the Supreme Court, that is still under contest but the fundamental principle is, our point is, anything related to the government of India, only the government can say whether it is a correct fact or a wrong fact. That is our stand," Vaishnaw, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, said. The Supreme Court in March this year stayed the Centre's notification on setting up a fact-checking unit under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to identify fake news about the Union government. The Fact Check Unit was ...

Global audiences suspicious of AI-powered newsrooms, misinformation

Newsrooms globally are working to address a new challenge with generative artificial intelligence, as tech giants and startups like Google, OpenAI build tools that can offer summaries of information

OpenAI launches tool to detect deepfake content by its image generator

OpenAI said it would share its new deepfake detector with a small group of disinformation researchers so they could test the tool in real-world situations and help pinpoint ways it could be improved

Amid rising menace of deepfakes during elections, focus back on guardrails

Although precise figures are elusive, there is a perceived surge in electoral deepfakes

Unmasking Misinformation and Fake News: Safeguarding Elections in the Digital Age/Empowering Voters in the Digital Age

Amidst the surge of misinformation, hyperlocal news apps like Way2News are doubling down on combating fake news & working towards providing citizens with reliable information to make informed decision

Kerala Govt initiates legal action over fake narrative against state

The Kerala government on Thursday initiated legal action against an allegedly fake communal narrative on social media against the state. The General Education Department in Kerala on Thursday said that it has filed a complaint against a social media handle on X identified as 'Mr. Sinha'. The department contended that a page of a book was posted on that handle falsely claiming that its communal contents were taught in Kerala schools and that was "how commies (communists) brainwash the little kids". General Education Minister V Sivankutty said a complaint has been filed with the state police chief regarding the "dissemination of false propaganda" aimed at the Kerala Government. "This book is not published by the Kerala Govt's Education Department. Merely another endeavor to incite animosity towards the state. Those acquainted with us understand the camaraderie & unity among the people of the state. No room for hatred - precisely why communal agenda fails to take root here," ...

Meta overhauls rules on deepfakes, other altered media ahead of US polls

Meta previously announced a scheme to detect images made using other companies' generative AI tools using invisible markers built into the files, but did not give a start date at the time

Brazil SC justice to probe Musk over fake news and alleged obstruction

A crusading Brazilian Supreme Court justice included Elon Musk as a target in an ongoing investigation over the dissemination of fake news and opened a separate investigation late Sunday into the executive for alleged obstruction. In his decision, Justice Alexandre de Moraes noted that Musk on Saturday began waging a public disinformation campaign regarding the top court's actions, and that Musk continued the following day most notably with comments that his social media company X would cease to comply with the court's orders to block certain accounts. The flagrant conduct of obstruction of Brazilian justice, incitement of crime, the public threat of disobedience of court orders and future lack of cooperation from the platform are facts that disrespect the sovereignty of Brazil, de Moraes wrote. Musk will be investigated for alleged intentional criminal instrumentalisation of X as part of an investigation into a network of people known as digital militias who allegedly spread ...

Musk launches X's 'Community Notes' programme in India: Here's how it works

The 'Community Notes' programme will allow contributors to participate in fact-checking tweets in order to create a more informed digital environment

Meta partners with PTI to expand its fact checking program in India

Meta's fact-checking programme in India includes partnerships with independent fact-checking organisations to prevent the spread of misinformation on its platforms

Facebook News tab will soon be unavailable as Meta scales back content

Meta will be sunsetting Facebook News in early April for users in the US and Australia as the platform further deemphasises news and politics. The feature was shut down in the UK, France and Germany last year. Launched in 2019, the News tab curated headlines from national and international news organisations, as well as smaller, local publications. Meta says users will still be able to view links to news articles, and news organisations will still be able to post and promote their stories and websites, as any other individual or organisation can on Facebook. The change comes as Meta tries to scale back news and political content on its platforms following years of criticism about how it handles misinformation and whether it contributes to political polarisation. "This change does not impact posts from accounts people choose to follow; it impacts what the system recommends, and people can control if they want more," said Dani Lever, a Meta spokesperson. "This announcement expands on