Google, Meta, other social media cos may recognise network of Indian fact-checkers

To be sure, this network will only be empowered to fact-check information that is not related to the Union government. On Thursday, the IT Ministry notified fresh amendments to the Information Technology Rules, 2021 under which it will set up a dedicated fact-checking unit to act on misinformation related to the government.

“The industry has sent MeitY a proposal today (Thursday) about how they want to create a self-regulatory network of fact-checkers for information that is not related to the Central government,” a senior government official told this paper, requesting anonymity since the discussions are at a preliminary stage.

Queries sent to Meta and Google did not elicit a response until the time of publication.

The Indian Express, in February, had reported on a closed-door meeting that took place between officials from the IT Ministry and representatives of major social media companies to discuss creating an indigenous network of fact-checkers that would flag misinformation on their platforms that was not related to the government.

Social media platforms already rely on a number of fact checkers. For instance, Meta works with fact-checkers certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), which was established in 2015 at the US-based Poynter Institute. Members of IFCN review and rate the accuracy of stories through original reporting, which may include interviewing primary sources, consulting public data and conducting analyses of media, including photos and video.

Even though a number of Indian outlets are part of the IFCN network, the government, it is learnt, does not want a network based elsewhere in the world to act on content emanating in the country. It instead wants to build a homegrown network of fact-checkers.

Misinformation is a major issue in India, owing to its diverse demographic and a large population that is just starting to access the internet. India is also among the biggest markets for major social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube, who collectively have hundreds of millions of active users.

According to a study published in Sage’s International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions journal in 2021, India had produced the largest amount of social media misinformation on Covid-19 due to the country’s higher internet penetration rate, increasing social media consumption and users’ lack of internet literacy.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said that social media platforms had sent a proposal to the Centre for creating a fact checking network called the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA). The MCA has clarified that it is not the creation of any social media platform. The story was updated to reflect the change.