The 41-second video features a clip from a news channel and was uploaded on February 26 by the reported account ‘Grace Garsia.’ The video garnered significant attention on Facebook
Tag: Fake News
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SC grants protection to editor, owner of news portal in ‘fake’ new case lodged in Tamil Nadu
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted protection from possible coercive action to the editor and owner of a news portal in a criminal case lodged against them over allegations of spreading fake news about attacks on Bihar migrants in Tamil Nadu.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha, however, refused to consider the plea for quashing of the FIR lodged in Tamil Nadu and asked the editor and the owner of the portal, OpIndia, to move the Madras High Court for the relief.
The top court took note of the submissions of senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for Nupur J Sharma and Rahul Roushan of the news portal, that the impugned news has already been taken back and now both of them are facing arrest.
“We direct there shall be no coercive action against them for four weeks,” the bench said, adding the plea for quashing FIR may be filed in the meantime before the court concerned.
“Jethmalani, how can we quash the FIR under Article 32 of the Constitution? You please go to the Madras High Court,” the bench said.
The FIR was lodged in Tamil Nadu over the allegations that the news portal allegedly ran fake news over Bihar migrant workers in the state.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted protection from possible coercive action to the editor and owner of a news portal in a criminal case lodged against them over allegations of spreading fake news about attacks on Bihar migrants in Tamil Nadu.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha, however, refused to consider the plea for quashing of the FIR lodged in Tamil Nadu and asked the editor and the owner of the portal, OpIndia, to move the Madras High Court for the relief.
The top court took note of the submissions of senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for Nupur J Sharma and Rahul Roushan of the news portal, that the impugned news has already been taken back and now both of them are facing arrest.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“We direct there shall be no coercive action against them for four weeks,” the bench said, adding the plea for quashing FIR may be filed in the meantime before the court concerned.
“Jethmalani, how can we quash the FIR under Article 32 of the Constitution? You please go to the Madras High Court,” the bench said.
The FIR was lodged in Tamil Nadu over the allegations that the news portal allegedly ran fake news over Bihar migrant workers in the state.
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Fake news must be fought robustly with trustable news, says Anurag Thakur
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Terming ‘malicious and weaponised disinformation’ a matter of great concern for governments across the globe, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Friday said that ‘fake news’ is a ‘virulent virus’, which should be countered with ‘trustable news’.
Speaking at the valedictory ceremony for Indian Information Service (IIS) officer trainees at Indian Institution of Mass Communications (IIMC), he said that the alarming rise of malicious disinformation dissemination, which is a global phenomenon, is greatly facilitated by the advent of social media platforms.
“It is of great concern, not only for us but governments around the world, how malicious disinformation often seeks to intervene and influence the political process…Fake News, the other virulent virus of our times, can be, should be, and must be fought robustly with Trustable News,” said the minister.
He added that IIS officers are the frontline defenders of the country’s official information system that protects India’s interests and shields its democratic structure. “It would be your job to think out of the box, cut the clutter and relentlessly push the facts. There should be no compromise on this simple necessity for an official information system. Prompt, precise and perfect – that is the threefold target you have to set for yourselves,” said the minister. Thakur further stated that the primary task of the officers would be to fuel an informed understanding of issues so that public discourse is well-informed.
Highlighting the menace of this ‘infodemic’ further, Thakur said that while democratisation of public spaces offered by tech platforms has no doubt had a positive impact and allows bottom-up participation in popular debate and discourse. “At the same time malicious, weaponised disinformation, whether internal or external, has worked against the positive gains of this democratisation of public spaces,” said the minister.
NEW DELHI: Terming ‘malicious and weaponised disinformation’ a matter of great concern for governments across the globe, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Friday said that ‘fake news’ is a ‘virulent virus’, which should be countered with ‘trustable news’.
Speaking at the valedictory ceremony for Indian Information Service (IIS) officer trainees at Indian Institution of Mass Communications (IIMC), he said that the alarming rise of malicious disinformation dissemination, which is a global phenomenon, is greatly facilitated by the advent of social media platforms.
“It is of great concern, not only for us but governments around the world, how malicious disinformation often seeks to intervene and influence the political process…Fake News, the other virulent virus of our times, can be, should be, and must be fought robustly with Trustable News,” said the minister.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
He added that IIS officers are the frontline defenders of the country’s official information system that protects India’s interests and shields its democratic structure. “It would be your job to think out of the box, cut the clutter and relentlessly push the facts. There should be no compromise on this simple necessity for an official information system. Prompt, precise and perfect – that is the threefold target you have to set for yourselves,” said the minister. Thakur further stated that the primary task of the officers would be to fuel an informed understanding of issues so that public discourse is well-informed.
Highlighting the menace of this ‘infodemic’ further, Thakur said that while democratisation of public spaces offered by tech platforms has no doubt had a positive impact and allows bottom-up participation in popular debate and discourse. “At the same time malicious, weaponised disinformation, whether internal or external, has worked against the positive gains of this democratisation of public spaces,” said the minister.
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Over 2,900 communal violence cases registered in country in last 5 years: Govt
An advisory was issued to the states and union territories on July 4, 2018 asking them to keep a watch on the circulation of fake news and rumours having the potential of inciting violence.
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Accuracy more important than speed in news: Minister Anurag Thakur
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Amid the call for appropriate measures to curtail fake news, Union minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur on Tuesday, said that ‘accuracy’ is more important than ‘speed’ and facts should be appropriately verified before presenting them in public domain.
“Presenting authentic information is the prime responsibility of the media and facts should be properly checked before they are put in the public domain…while speed with which the information is transmitted is important, accuracy is even more important and should be primary in the minds of communicators,” said the minister.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (ABU) Union General Assembly 2022 in the national capital. With the spread of social media, fake news has also proliferated, Thakur added.
The minister further informed that the government has promptly established the Fact Check Unit in Press Information Bureau to counter unverified claims and present truth to the people.
He also underlined that for responsible media organisations, maintaining public trust, should be the highest guiding principle.
Thakur credited public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) for having always stood by the truth and having won people’s trust for their truthful reporting.
The minister stated that the media’s role during the time of crisis becomes critical as it directly concerns saving lives. He also credited the media for coming to the aid of people stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it was media which connected people with the outside world.
The minister invited the media to become a partner in Governance and used the opportunity to reiterate the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Media should act as a link between government and people and provide continuous feedback, at both national and regional level,” he said, urging that ABU as an association of broadcasting organisations must continue to train and equip media practitioners with the best professional skills on role of media in the time of crisis.
Prasar Bharati, India’s Public Service Broadcaster, is hosting the 59th ABU General Assembly 2022. The theme for this year’s assembly is “Serving the People: Media’s Role in Times of Crisis”.
NEW DELHI: Amid the call for appropriate measures to curtail fake news, Union minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur on Tuesday, said that ‘accuracy’ is more important than ‘speed’ and facts should be appropriately verified before presenting them in public domain.
“Presenting authentic information is the prime responsibility of the media and facts should be properly checked before they are put in the public domain…while speed with which the information is transmitted is important, accuracy is even more important and should be primary in the minds of communicators,” said the minister.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (ABU) Union General Assembly 2022 in the national capital. With the spread of social media, fake news has also proliferated, Thakur added.
The minister further informed that the government has promptly established the Fact Check Unit in Press Information Bureau to counter unverified claims and present truth to the people.
He also underlined that for responsible media organisations, maintaining public trust, should be the highest guiding principle.
Thakur credited public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) for having always stood by the truth and having won people’s trust for their truthful reporting.
The minister stated that the media’s role during the time of crisis becomes critical as it directly concerns saving lives. He also credited the media for coming to the aid of people stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it was media which connected people with the outside world.
The minister invited the media to become a partner in Governance and used the opportunity to reiterate the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Media should act as a link between government and people and provide continuous feedback, at both national and regional level,” he said, urging that ABU as an association of broadcasting organisations must continue to train and equip media practitioners with the best professional skills on role of media in the time of crisis.
Prasar Bharati, India’s Public Service Broadcaster, is hosting the 59th ABU General Assembly 2022. The theme for this year’s assembly is “Serving the People: Media’s Role in Times of Crisis”.
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Government blocks 45 videos on 10 YouTube channels: Anurag Thakur
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Government has ordered the blocking of 45 videos from 10 YouTube channels that contained fake news and morphed content with the intent to spread hatred amongst religious communities, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Monday.
The blocked videos had a cumulative viewership of over 1.30 crore and claimed that the government had taken away the religious rights of certain communities, an official statement said.
“These channels had content that spread fear and misconception among communities,” Thakur said.
An official statement said the blocked content included fake news and morphed videos spread with the intent to spread hatred among religious communities.
Examples include false claims such as the government has taken away the religious rights of certain communities, violent threats against religious communities and a declaration of civil war in India, the ministry said. The ministry said the action was taken on the inputs from intelligence agencies.
“Some of the videos blocked by the Ministry were being used to spread disinformation on issues related to Agnipath scheme, Indian Armed Forces, India’s national security apparatus, Kashmir,” it said.
The content was observed to be false and sensitive from the perspective of national security and India’s friendly relations with foreign nations, it added.
“Such videos were found to have the potential to cause communal disharmony and disrupt public order in the country,” the ministry said.
The order to block the videos was issued on September 23 under the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, the statement said.
Earlier, the government had blocked 102 YouTube channels and Facebook accounts that sought to create communal disharmony, Thakur said.
The ministry said certain videos depicted erroneous external boundaries of India with parts of J-K and Ladakh outside the Indian territory. Such cartographic misrepresentation was found to be detrimental to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, the I&B ministry said.
Accordingly, the content was covered within the ambit of section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
NEW DELHI: Government has ordered the blocking of 45 videos from 10 YouTube channels that contained fake news and morphed content with the intent to spread hatred amongst religious communities, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Monday.
The blocked videos had a cumulative viewership of over 1.30 crore and claimed that the government had taken away the religious rights of certain communities, an official statement said.
“These channels had content that spread fear and misconception among communities,” Thakur said.
An official statement said the blocked content included fake news and morphed videos spread with the intent to spread hatred among religious communities.
Examples include false claims such as the government has taken away the religious rights of certain communities, violent threats against religious communities and a declaration of civil war in India, the ministry said. The ministry said the action was taken on the inputs from intelligence agencies.
“Some of the videos blocked by the Ministry were being used to spread disinformation on issues related to Agnipath scheme, Indian Armed Forces, India’s national security apparatus, Kashmir,” it said.
The content was observed to be false and sensitive from the perspective of national security and India’s friendly relations with foreign nations, it added.
“Such videos were found to have the potential to cause communal disharmony and disrupt public order in the country,” the ministry said.
The order to block the videos was issued on September 23 under the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, the statement said.
Earlier, the government had blocked 102 YouTube channels and Facebook accounts that sought to create communal disharmony, Thakur said.
The ministry said certain videos depicted erroneous external boundaries of India with parts of J-K and Ladakh outside the Indian territory. Such cartographic misrepresentation was found to be detrimental to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, the I&B ministry said.
Accordingly, the content was covered within the ambit of section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
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35 WhatsApp groups banned by government for ‘spreading fake news’ about Agnipath scheme
By PTI
NEW DELHI: As many as 35 WhatsApp groups that were allegedly spreading fake news about the Agnipath military recruitment scheme were on Sunday banned by the government, officials said. The move came amid violent protests against the scheme in different parts of the country since it was announced a few days ago.
ALSO READ| Agnipath applicants will have to give undertaking they didn’t take part in protests, arson
As many as 35 WhatsApp groups were banned by the government for allegedly spreading fake news about the Agnipath scheme, the government officials said. However, information about these groups or if any action has been initiated against their administrators was not immediately known.
Ruling out the rollback of the ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme despite widespread protests, the three services of the military on Sunday came out with a broad schedule of enrolment under the new policy and asserted that it was aimed at bringing down the age profile of the armed forces.
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Chhattisgarh: Scribe held for fake news also booked for immoral trafficking
By PTI
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Police have added sections pertaining to immoral trafficking in the case against a web portal’s journalist, who was arrested for allegedly circulating fake news against Congress leaders, an official said on Tuesday.
After journalist Nilesh Sharma was arrested in Raipur last Wednesday, police recovered a large amount of pornographic content from his mobile handset, the official said, adding that he was allegedly circulating such content.
“The investigation also revealed that he was allegedly in contact with some women who indulged in flesh trade, and a woman was also arrested in this case. Based on the analysis of Sharma’s mobile handset, sections of the Information Technology Act and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act have been added in the case,” the official said.
A preliminary analysis of Sharma’s WhatApp chats indicated that he had allegedly collected money from several people on the pretext of helping in getting their work done, he said.
Some confidential government documents were also recovered from his phone, the official said without revealing more information about the documents.
He said the police were probing how the journalist got such documents.
Sharma allegedly published fake news against Congress leaders by using symbolic names in the web portal’s column ‘Ghurwa ke Mati’.
On the complaint of Congress worker Khilawan Nishad, a case was registered against him last week under IPC provisions at the Civil Lines police station, the police said.
The probe into the case also revealed that a police officer, who was posted for the security duty of an MLA, had allegedly shared two call detail records (CDRs) illegally with the journalist following which the officer was suspended, they said.
“During the analysis of Sharma’s phone, some chats surfaced which indicated intimidation. Sharma was allegedly threatening and blackmailing people under the garb of journalism. The police will record the statements of such people,” the official said.
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No ‘pro-Pakistan’ slogan at poll victory march in Kutch: Cops on viral video
By PTI
KUTCH: Police investigation into a video in Gujarat has disclosed that no slogans in favour of Pakistan were prima facie raised during the rally of a candidate who won the village panchayat election in Kutch district contrary to the claims made on social media and other platforms, officials said on Wednesday.
A police officer said that a probe will be conducted and action taken against the people who spread the misinformation claiming that some people had shouted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ during the victory rally of Reenaben Radhubhai Kothiwad, soon after the result of the panchayat election was declared in Dudhai village on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi had cited this video and said Kutch (East) SP and Border Range IG were directed to take immediate action.
The video had gone viral on social media with accompanying messages claiming that a group of people shouted pro-Pakistan slogans during the victory procession of a woman candidate.
“Reenaben Radhubhai Kothiwad won the election as the woman sarpanch of Dudhai village, results of which were declared on Tuesday. In her victory rally, her supporters shouted ‘Radhubhai zindabad’ twice. However, some people misrepresented the video to claim that people shouted ‘Pakistan zindabad,” Superintendent of Police (Kutch East), Mayur Patil told reporters.
He said if the video clip is listened to quietly, one can hear that, after eight seconds, people are shouting ‘Radhubhai zindabad’ twice.
According to Patil, a probe will be conducted and action will be taken against people who twisted the words to spread misinformation.
“We will issue a warning to the journalist who shared this video on Twitter without proper verification. We will also write to the organisation he is working for,” the SP said.
Sanghavi had said that a proper investigation was being conducted in the incident of slogan-shouting (at the rally) after the poll result in Kutch.
“We are taking action with all seriousness. I assure you that all those who are involved in shouting the slogan will be arrested,” the minister had told reporters.
He also cited another viral video of a locality in Surat, saying a family living there was being harassed by some persons “despite the imposition of the Disturbed Areas Act”.
Sanghavi said that Surat Police are investigating.
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Parliamentary panel asks government to explore legal provisions to counter challenge of ‘fake news’
By PTI
NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel on Wednesday asked the government to explore legal provisions to counter the challenge of ‘fake news’ and suggested embracing latest technologies such as artificial intelligence to check the ‘menace’ in real-time.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, observed that ‘fake news’ has become a ‘disturbing trend in India.’
‘The committee is concerned that the menace of false/fake news has become a disturbing trend in India, where the contributors of content are not only owners of websites, but also individual subscribers, on whom exercising control is posing a very big challenge,’ the panel said in its 27th report on ‘Ethical Standards in Media Coverage’, which has been presented in Parliament.
It said the committee endorses the views of the CEO of Prasar Bharati that ‘the regulatory mechanisms should look at embracing latest technologies such as artificial intelligence to check fake news and to be able to intervene in near real-time’.
There is a need to take suitable steps accordingly and also to factor in the existing expertise in the domain of news fact check through non-government agencies such as ‘AltNews’, ‘check4spam’, ‘SMHoaxslayer’ etc, the panel said.
Observing that countries like Australia and Malaysia have anti-fake news laws, the committee suggested the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to develop some legal provisions to counter ‘as big a challenge as fake news.’ The panel appreciated the establishment of fact check units in 17 regional offices of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), and asked the ministry to open more such units ‘to remain vigilant for viral videos/news which could create public disorder’.
The panel report noted that there already exist laws and rules under the Indian Penal Code, the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011, to tackle and penalise persons spreading ‘fake news’.
Fact check unit was established in the PIB in December 2019 and these units are now there in its 17 regional offices.
‘Further, a fact check unit (FCU) has been established in the PIB in December 2019 and such FCUs have also been set up in 17 regional offices of PIB. This cell is mandated to counter misinformation on government policies and schemes either suo motu or under a reference via various input methods like WhatsApp Hotline number, e-mail, Twitter and PIB’s website,’ the panel noted.
The mechanism depends on various feeder units like ministries, departments, public sector undertakings for verification of information and is connected to them via PIB officers in the ministries.