NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said on Thursday Parliament that he Fact-Checking Unit of the Press Information Office has received over 28,380 ‘actionable inquiries’ since November 2020. The submission came in response to a question on Rajya Sabha on the number of fact checks performed, if the Fact Verification Unit It has domain experts, and if there is an appeal provision in the system.
In response, the ministry informed the Chamber that the GDP Data Verification Unit is aware of false news related to the central government both ex officio and through inquiries sent by citizens on its portal or through email and social networks.
“It then responds to relevant inquiries with correct and up-to-date information related to the Government of India’s policies, schemes, guidelines and initiatives,” the government said.
The GDP Data Verification Unit was established in November 2019. The ministry said it received a total of 28,380 ‘actionable inquiries’ between November 2020 and June 2023.
“PIB carries out fact-checking through a rigorous process involving multiple layers of cross-verification through government open source information and verification of the Indian government organization concerned,” the government said.
He added that no fact-checking unit has been notified by the government under the provisions of the Information Technology (Amendment) Rules, 2023, a clarification that came in the context of controversy that erupted when the government appointed its own arm as the arbiter of truth, raising concerns not only about freedom of the press, but also about the ability to comment on or criticize the government.
In an interview to TOIunion minister of information and broadcasting anurag thakur he had called concerns about press freedom “unjustified and ill-founded”, adding that the GDP Fact Check Unit was not new and had been in operation since 2019, doing an “exemplary job” in countering disinformation, especially during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In response, the ministry informed the Chamber that the GDP Data Verification Unit is aware of false news related to the central government both ex officio and through inquiries sent by citizens on its portal or through email and social networks.
“It then responds to relevant inquiries with correct and up-to-date information related to the Government of India’s policies, schemes, guidelines and initiatives,” the government said.
The GDP Data Verification Unit was established in November 2019. The ministry said it received a total of 28,380 ‘actionable inquiries’ between November 2020 and June 2023.
“PIB carries out fact-checking through a rigorous process involving multiple layers of cross-verification through government open source information and verification of the Indian government organization concerned,” the government said.
He added that no fact-checking unit has been notified by the government under the provisions of the Information Technology (Amendment) Rules, 2023, a clarification that came in the context of controversy that erupted when the government appointed its own arm as the arbiter of truth, raising concerns not only about freedom of the press, but also about the ability to comment on or criticize the government.
In an interview to TOIunion minister of information and broadcasting anurag thakur he had called concerns about press freedom “unjustified and ill-founded”, adding that the GDP Fact Check Unit was not new and had been in operation since 2019, doing an “exemplary job” in countering disinformation, especially during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.