Lok Sabha Question No. 2728 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-10
Subject: Fake News and Objectionable Photos/Videos
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Sumedhanand Saraswati

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2728

TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.03.2021

## FAKE NEWS AND OBJECTIONABLE PHOTOS / VIDEOS

## 2728.    SHRI SUMEDHANAND SARASWATI:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the various cases of circulation of fake news on print, electronic and social media and objectionable videos on various websites;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (c) whether the Government is aware of the negative impact of these objectionable photos and videos on all sections of the society including children and if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (d) the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (e) the steps being taken by the Government to address the issue of circulation fake news, objectionable photos and videos on mobile and other social media platforms?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATES FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)

(a) to (c): Cyber space is a complex environment of people, software, hardware and services on the Internet. With  a  borderless  cyberspace  coupled  with  the  possibility  of  instant  communication  and  anonymity,  the potential for misuse of cyberspace and social media platforms for criminal activities is a global issue. There were media reports about social media platforms being misused to spread various cases of fake news and objectionable videos posted on print, electronic media, social media and video sharing sites.

'Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects  as  per  the  Constitution  of  India  and  States  are  primarily responsible for prevention, detection and investigation through their law enforcement machinery. The Law Enforcement Agencies take legal action against the cyber-crime offenders as per the provisions of applicable laws.

(d) and(e): The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 has provisions for removal of objectionable online content. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 notified under the Act, require that the intermediaries, which includes social media platforms, shall observe due diligence while discharging their duties and shall inform the users of computer resources not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is harmful, objectionable, and unlawful in any way. Also, section 79 of the Act provides that intermediaries are required to disable/remove unlawful content on being notified by appropriate government or its agency. The Rules also  require that publishers of news shall observe the Code of Ethics which includes adherence to :

- (i) Norms of Journalistic Conduct of the Press Council of India under the Press Council Act, 1978;
- (ii) Programme Code under section 5 of the Cable Television Networks Regulation) Act, 1995;
- (iii) Content  which  is  prohibited  under  any  law  for  the  time  being  in  force  shall  not  be  published  or transmitted.

Further,  section  69A  of  the  IT  Act,  2000  empowers  Government  to  block  any  information  generated, transmitted, received, stored or hosted in any computer resource in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India,  defence  of  India,  security  of  the  State,  friendly  relations  with  foreign  states  or  public  order  or  for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above.

Government has taken steps to address the challenges of misinformation and rumors spreading via social media platforms. These, inter alia, include:

- (i) Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has set up a dedicated cell (Counter Misinformation Unit) under Press Information Bureau (PIB) as a measure to counter fake news on policies, schemes, programs etc. by Government of India. The Unit has a presence on prominent social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and lnstagram. The information is also available on https://pib.gov.in/factcheck.aspx. The unit takes  suo  moto  cognizance  of  fake  news  going  viral  on  social  media  and  also  on  basis  of  outside complaints.
- (ii) Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) regularly interacts with social media platforms on issues related to spread of fake news, misinformation/disinformation on Internet. Social media platforms have implemented a number of steps to address the issue of fake news propagated using their platform.

(iii) MeitY through a program, namely, Information Security Education & Awareness (ISEA), has been creating awareness among users highlighting the importance of following the ethics while using Internet and  advising  them  not  to  share  rumors/fake  news.  A  dedicated  website  for  information  security awareness (https://www.infosecawareness.in) provides relevant awareness material.

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