Myths Vs Facts: Centre Notifies PIB's Fact-Check Unit Under IT Rules To Counter Fake News On Social Media

The Centre on Wednesday (20 March) notified the Fact Check Unit (FCU) under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) as the fact check unit of the Union Government.

In a Gazette notification issued, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the PIB FCU under the provisions of the sub-clause (v) of sub-rule (1) of rule 3 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The MIB and MeitY have been working closely on the subject to address the challenge of fake news, especially on social media, a government statement said.

The Fact Check Unit under PIB was established in November 2019 with a stated objective of acting as a deterrent to creators and disseminators of fake news and misinformation. 

It also provides people with an easy avenue to report suspicious and questionable information pertaining to the Government of India.

The FCU is mandated to counter misinformation on government policies, initiatives and schemes either suo motu or under a reference via complaints.

The FCU actively monitors, detects, and counters disinformation campaigns, ensuring that false information about the government is promptly exposed and corrected.

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