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Fact-checking or Censorship by Other Means?
The government cannot claim monopoly over truth in a democracy.
Ruchi Gupta writes:
As public discourse has increasingly shifted online, governments around the world are grappling with how best to regulate the online sphere. Some of the initiatives are well-intentioned, aimed at establishing accountability for digital platforms, which are encouraging information disorder to boost their own engagement and thus profits. However, the series of moves made by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government of India are lacking in good faith that is necessary for public-interest regulation. Instead, it betrays an anxiety to control the digital public sphere. The latest move is about MEITY’s (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) proposed amendment to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 which states that online intermediaries must take down any information identified as “false” or “misleading” by the government agency, press information bureau (PIB) or “other agency authorised by the central government”.
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