Page 5 - Fake News

Editors Guild voices concern over K'taka decision to set up fact-check unit

The Editors Guild of India on Sunday voiced concerns over the decision of the Karnataka government to set up a fact-checking unit to monitor "fake news" on social media platforms. The Guild insisted that efforts to check such content have to be by independent bodies that are not under the sole purview of the government lest they become tools to clamp down on voices of dissent. Any such monitoring framework should follow principles of natural justice, including giving prior notice, right to appeal and judicial oversight, the Guild said in a statement here. It said such fact-checking units should also be set up with due consultation and involvement of all stakeholders, including journalists and media bodies, so that press freedom is not tampered with. The Guild has already filed a petition in the Bombay High Court, challenging the amendments to the IT Rules 2023 that allow the setting up of a 'fact-checking unit' under which the executive will have the sole authority to determine wha

Back from the dead! Celebrities whose death rumours shocked the world

From Justin Bieber to Kim Jong-Un, here are some of the most popular figures who came back from the dead on social media

Curbing misinformation critical as AI-powered tools come in: YouTube

YouTube on Wednesday said curbing misinformation is critical for platforms and society as tech evolves and AI powered tools come in, and asserted that the video streaming platform will act swiftly against technically manipulated content that aims to mislead users and cause real world harm. YouTube has has well established community guidelines in place that determine what kind of content is allowed on the platform, Ishan John Chatterjee, Director, India, YouTube, said at a media briefing. "Content moderation is a critical challenge for YouTube and also for society as whole as tech evolves," he said to a question on YouTube's content moderation approach in the backdrop of AI moving to point where humans on screen are being replaced by AI avatars and powerful newage tools. "One of the policies besides different things like violence and graphic content is...about misinformation and content that is technically manipulated to mislead users and cause real world harm...That is not allowed o

Rumours, fake news major menace fuelling violence in Manipur: Officials

The ethnic violence in Manipur that erupted on May 3 and has left over 160 dead has been largely fuelled by rumours and fake news, according to officials from various security agencies who have been monitoring the situation in the restive northeastern state. The despicable May 4 incident in Kangpokpi district, where two women were paraded naked and assaulted by several people, was among the spate of sexual attacks that occurred after a picture of a body wrapped in polythene was circulated in the Imphal valley with a false claim that the victim had been murdered by tribals in Churachandpur. The picture was later found to be that of a woman murdered in the national capital but the fire had engulfed the valley by that time, and what was witnessed the next day put humanity to shame, says an official while referring to the video of the Kangpokpi incident that appeared on social media last week and has sparked massive outrage in the country. On the same day, barely 30 km away, two more ..

Won't notify Fact Check Unit against fake news till Sept 4: Centre to HC

The three petitions sought the court to declare the amended Rules unconstitutional and direct the government to restrain from acting against any individual under the Rules

Initiative aimed at empowering communities against misinformation launched

DataLEADS, a digital media and information initiative, said it has launched a pan-India programme aimed at empowering individuals and communities in building resilience against misinformation. Supported by the Google News Initiative, the programme called 'FactShala' aims to foster critical thinking skills and institutionalise a media literacy initiative in different regions and zones of India. This network will spearhead various student-led activities, including the creation of weekly videos and explainers, newsletters, blogs, hackathons, quizzes, and other engaging initiatives, a statement by DataLeads said. These activities will play a pivotal role in equipping students with the skills needed to critically evaluate online information and identify reliable sources amidst the vast sea of digital content, it said. Six universities and colleges from five zones are being selected to lead this programme in their own regions, a statement by DataLeads said. Mudra Institute of Communicat

Amended IT rules on fake news on social media may be excessive: Bombay HC

The Bombay High Court on Friday said the recently amended Information Technology (IT) Rules against fake content on social media against the government may be excessive, quipping that one cannot bring a hammer to kill an ant. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale also said it still does not understand the need behind the amendment to the Rules and stated it finds it difficult that one authority of the government is given absolute power to decide what is fake, false, and misleading. In a democratic process, the court said, the government is as much a participant as a citizen is and hence a citizen has the fundamental right to question and demand answers and the government is duty-bound to respond. The bench was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the amended IT Rules. Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India and the Association of Indian Magazines have filed petitions in the HC against the Rules, terming them arbitrary and unconstitutional

Fake news rules: Can statute have unbound discretionary authority, asks HC

Is it permissible in law for a statute to have unbound and limitless discretionary authority, the Bombay High Court asked on Friday while hearing a bunch of petitions against the recently amended Information Technology (IT) Rules against fake news. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale said before it goes into the effect the Rules would have on the fundamental rights of citizens, it needs to know the boundaries and limits of the words - fake, false and misleading - used in the Rules. The court was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the IT Rules that empower the Centre to identify fake, false and misleading information posted on social media against the government and its business. Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India and the Association of Indian Magazines filed petitions in the high court against the rules terming them as arbitrary, unconstitutional and saying that they would have a "chilling effect" on the fundamental rights of ...

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

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 ...

France accuses Russia of faking websites to sow confusion about Ukraine war

France's government accused Russia on Tuesday of operating a long-running online manipulation campaign, including impersonating the websites of leading French media and the French Foreign Ministry, aimed at spreading confusion and false information about the war in Ukraine. The French agency responsible for fighting foreign digital interference, VIGINUM, said it has monitored the alleged operation since soon after Russia invaded its neighbour and that France was one of several European countries targeted. It said it traced the campaign to Russian individuals, companies and state entities or entities affiliated to the Russian state. Last month, the agency detected a mirror website mimicking the French Foreign Ministry's and intervened with protective and preventive measures, VIGINUM said in a report published Tuesday. France condemns these actions, which are unworthy of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. No attempt at manipulation will distract France from its

Centre's fact-check unit: What is it and how does the Union govt defend it?

IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says the govt-backed fact-check body will work in a credible way, and those who defy the rules will have to deal with it in the court of law

Social media 'trust or distrust' buttons may help curb spread of fake news

The addition of 'trust' and 'distrust' buttons on social media, alongside standard 'like' buttons, could help to reduce the spread of misinformation, finds a new experimental study

YouTube stops removing fake US presidential election fraud claims

Two years, tens of thousands of video removals, and one election cycle later, "we recognised it was time to reevaluate the effects of this policy in today's changed landscape", the company said

Twitter testing new feature 'Notes on Media' to identify misleading media

"Notes attached to an image will automatically appear on recent & future matching images," it added

Not PIB, MeitY-led team may scrutinise news items to mark them as fake news

The decision drew harsh criticism from the supporters of free speech in the country

SC rejects plea of Bihar YouTuber's against invoking NSA over fake videos

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea of jailed Bihar YouTuber Manish Kashyap against whom the stringent National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked for allegedly circulating fake videos of migrant labourers being attacked in Tamil Nadu. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, however, granted Kashyap the liberty to challenge the invocation of the NSA at an appropriate judicial forum. It also rejected the plea for clubbing all 19 FIRs against him and their transfer to Bihar. We are not inclined to entertain the plea, the bench said while rejecting the vehement submissions of senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Kashyap who is presently lodged in Madurai jail of Tamil Nadu. Earlier, the top court had granted time to the Tamil Nadu government, represented by lawyer Amit Anand Tiwari, to respond to the amended plea of Kashyap against whom the stringent NSA was invoked for allegedly circulating the ...

Won't notify fact checking unit for fake news against govt till Jul 5: Govt

The Union government told the Bombay High Court on Thursday that it will not notify till July 5, 2023 a fact checking unit to identify fake news against the government on social media under the recently amended Information Technology Rules. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale accepted the statement and said since the amended rules would be inoperable in the absence of a fact checking unit, no urgent hearing was required on stay of the rules as sought by stand-up comic Kunal Kamra. The bench posted the petition filed by Kamra, challenging the constitutional validity of the rules, for hearing on June 8. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Union government, told the HC that the fact checking unit would not be notified till July 5, 2023 so that the court could hear the matter in June when it reopens after the summer vacation. Kamra's counsel Darius Khambata insisted the court hear the matter for interim relief on Thursday itself and argued

With Twitter blue ticks as paid service, here's how to spot misinformation

When Musk first introduced opt-in paid verification in November 2022, users with verified accounts caused pharmaceutical companies to lose billions in stocks by tweeting false announcements

Consultations going on for change of rules on identifying fake news: Rijiju

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said amendments to the rules for determining fake news, false news and misrepresentation have been put through a consultation process, but need a lot of deliberations before being enforced. "We are looking towards making certain amendments in the entire election process. I cannot give any commitment because it is a consultation process which is going on. So the definition of fake news, false news and misrepresentation ... these are all important things which require a lot of deliberations. We are doing it," Rijiju told reporters here after inaugurating the Legal Aid office. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 on Thursday. The 2023 amendments confer the power on the ministry to notify a fact-check unit of the Centre that will identify fake, false or misleading online content with respect to any business

No sweeping power or a draconian move: MoS IT on govt's fact-checking unit

"The fact-checking unit will flag misinformation and patently false information pertaining to the government," the Minister posted in a tweet