Government Notifies Fact Check Unit

The government on Wednesday notified the Fact Check Unit in exercise of power under the new IT rules. This unit will check the accuracy of information, especially related to the government's activities.

The government has decided that the Fact Check Unit, under the Press Information Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, will be the official fact-checking unit for the government's business.

Earlier on Wednesday, comedian Kunal Kamra moved to the Supreme Court to ask for a pause on setting up fact-checking units, which were introduced as part of changes to the IT Rules in 2023. The case is likely to be heard on Thursday.

Kamra's move comes after the Bombay High Court decided not to stop the formation of these units while the matter was still being decided in court, stating that there wasn't enough evidence against them. Kamra is now hoping the Supreme Court will provide some relief regarding this issue.

As reported earlier by NDTV Profit, in his plea, Kamra has submitted that if the fact-check unit labels any information as fake or misleading, the platform hosting that content will remove it to avoid getting into legal trouble.

He has further stated that these units target the platforms, but it's the users and their content that will be affected. Kamra said the rule is too broad and will silence criticism against the government, forcing platforms to censor content related to the government to protect themselves.

He also mentioned that there's already a reliable system—the Press Information Bureau—to deal with fake news about the government.