FactChecking

The government on Wednesday notified a fact-check unit (FCU) under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the ministry of information and broadcasting. The FCU will be the nodal agency to tackle or alert about all fake news or misinformation related to the central government, an official notification said.The unit, established in November 2019, has now got the “legal backing” with the notification, a senior government official said.Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill CoursesOffering CollegeCourseWebsiteMITMIT…

Image Source : META Meta Meta (formerly known as Facebook) and the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) have collaborated and are gearing up to launch a dedicated fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp, an instant messaging platform in India. The partnership has been made to combat media generated using artificial intelligence (AI). New helpline: Expected launch…

Threads, Meta’s Twitter-like service and competitor to X, may be distancing itself from politics, but that doesn’t mean it won’t try to tackle the misinformation that spreads across social media — particularly in the lead-up to national elections. Following user reports of fact-checks spotted on the network, the company confirmed it’s engaged with fact-checking organizations to address false information circulating on Threads, but has not fully rolled out direct fact-checking of Threads content as of yet. Meta had…

In the run-up to the General Elections this year, Karnataka has shortlisted five firms for its fact check unit. These include Gauri Media, Logically Infomedia, Trylika Technology, Newsplus Communications, and OW Data Leads. These firms have submitted expressions of interest for various teams of the Information Disorder Tackling Unit (IDTU), and state government officials, including IT minister Priyank Kharge, have held a series of meetings with them. Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill CoursesOffering…

Meta’s Threads social media network will arrive to the EU tomorrow. That much has been confirmed. As we’re waiting for that to happen, the Head of Instagram just confirmed something very interesting. Fact-checking is coming to Threads next year. Fact-checking is coming to Threads next year, the company’s Head just confirmed The company wants to moderate user-generated content on Threads, for a good reason. He said that Threads currently “match fact-check ratings from Facebook or Instagram to Threads”, but that’s not good…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain New Cornell University research finds while journalists and professional fact-checkers struggle to keep up with the deluge of misinformation online, sites that rely on loosely coordinated contributions from volunteers, such as Wikipedia, can help fill the gaps. In the study, researchers compared…

The government will not constitute its Fact Check Unit (FCU) to identify and tag fake news till July 28 as it is expected to make its arguments in the case related to the FCU on July 27 and 28 in the Bombay High Court, it was decided in the courtroom on Friday. This pertains to a case being heard regarding the constitutionality of the Information Technology (Amendment) Rules, 2023 in a PIL filed by the Association of Indian Magazines. A bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale are hearing a batch of petitions…

In its quest to cull approximately 21,000 jobs, Meta dissolved its efforts to develop of a fact-checking tool meant to impede the spread of misinformation, according to CNBC. As reported by CNBC, “three people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named due to confidentiality agreements” stated the tool has been nixed as a byproduct of the mass layoffs. The project would’ve helped combat misinformation by letting third-party fact checkers, such as Reuters and the Associated Press, add comments atop…

Sixteen organisations including Amnesty International, Access Now and Human Rights Watch issued a joint statement against the latest amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules of 2022, under which the government proposes to set up a fact-checking unit for government news, saying it would “censor journalism and severely jeopardise freedom of expression”. “India’s new IT Rules amendment effectively empowers the government to be the judge and the jury on online content pertaining to itself. Fake, false and…

The Asia Internet Coalition, an influential industry organization representing technology giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple, and Amazon, has voiced concerns over a recent amendment to India’s IT rules, saying the changes grant the local government expansive content removal authority without implementing adequate procedural safeguards. India recently updated its IT rules, barring social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter from disseminating false or misleading information…