Real vs fake

The Centre will not permit social media platforms to host any information that it identifies as false, according to a draft proposal of the country’s IT rules released recently. Any information identified as fake or false by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), or by any other agency authorised for fact-checking by the government or by its department in which such business is transacted, would be prohibited under the draft.Once information was identified as such, social media platforms or other online intermediaries would have to make reasonable efforts to ensure users do not host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share such information, it added.In October, the government announced a panel would be set up to hear complaints from users regarding content moderation decisions of social media firms, which are already required to appoint in-house grievance redressal officers and executives to co-ordinate with law enforcement officials.