The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Wednesday, March 20, notified Fact Check Units (FCUs) under the IT rules.
In a notification, the ministry said the FCUs were being notified "in exercise of powers conferred by sub-clause (v) of clause (b) of sub-rule (1) of rule 3 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, under the ... Ministry of Information and Broadcasting."
Initiated on April 6, 2023, by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the IT Rules amendments introduced the FCU to identify and signal "fake, false, or misleading online content concerning the government." As per the rules, if flagged, social media intermediaries have the choice to either remove the content or attach a disclaimer. However, by opting for the latter, they forfeit their legal immunity, opening themselves to legal repercussions.
On March 12, the Bombay HC had refused to restrain the government from notifying FCU. The Bombay HC was hearing a plea by the Editors Guild and Kunal Kamra challenging the constitutionality of a government-backed Fact Checking Unit. The petitioners have now moved the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear the plea on Thursday.
First Published: Mar 20, 2024 6:44 PM IST
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