Over 60 social media accounts blocked for anti-India fake news: Centre

The government on Thursday said it has blocked more than 60 social media accounts including YouTube channels and Facebook and Instagram pages in the last two months for spreading antiIndia fake newsReplying to supplementary questions in the Upper House Minister for State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said the government is very much concerned about the freedom of speech and freedom of expressionAsked about action taken against those spreading fake news and publishers of antinational material he said more than 60 accounts have been blocked including those on YouTube Twitter Facebook and InstagramThese YouTube channels are sponsored from Pakistan he saidOn fake news through newspapers the minister said the Press Council of India is an autonomous statutory body and takes care of the journalists ethics codeJournalists have to follow ethics code Wherever they have not followed the ethics code under the Press Council Act Section 14 action has to be initiated In more than 150 cases we took action against them he saidAsked about Techfog app roles in spreading fake news Murugan said the government has established a fact check unit which has responded to more than 30000 queriesThis unit is also verifying viral fake news he addedAccording to an official statement the ministry on January 21 had ordered blocking of 35 YouTube based news channels and two websites which were involved in spreading antiIndia fake news in a coordinated manner over digital media Additionally two Twitter accounts two Instagram accounts and one Facebook account were blockedIn December also 20 YouTube channels and two websites were blocked the official statement had saidIn a written reply to the starred question Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said the government has statutory and institutional mechanisms in place to combat fake newsA Fact Check Unit has been setup under the Press Information Bureau of this Ministry in November 2019 which takes cognisance of fake news both suo motu and by way of queries sent by citizens on its portal or through email and WhatsAppThe unit responds to relevant queries with correct information when the same pertains to Central Government or forwards them to StatesUTs in other cases The Unit also maintains a Twitter account PIBFactcheck and posts cases of fake news being busted on the same on regular basis PIB Fact Check Unit has so far responded to 30533 actionable queries he saidFor print media the Press Council of India PCI a statutory autonomous body set up under the Press Council Act 1978 has framed Norms of Journalistic Conduct for adherence by the mediaThese norms emphasise the principles of accuracy and fairness as well as prepublication verificationThe PCI has formulated specific norms to refrain print media from publication dissemination of fake or false newsFor electronic media Television all TV channels are required to adhere to the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act 1995As per the code programmes should not contain anything obscene defamatory deliberate false and suggestive innuendos and halftruthsFor digital news the government has notified the Information Technology Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules 2021 on February 25 2021 under the Information Technology Act 2000 which inter alia provides for a Code of Ethics for adherence by digital news publishersAppropriate action is taken in cases where violation of norms codes etc are found The government also issues advisory from time to time to the media to adhere to the laid down codes Thakur saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever