Trusted fact checkers: Govt to work with tech majors to create a framework

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will work with internet intermediaries to create a framework for “trusted fact checkers”, government sources said on Thursday after a high-level meeting with representatives of technology companies like Google, Meta and Koo. These firms, also referred to as significant social media intermediaries, deliberated on the various aspects of fact-checking of content on their platforms.

The proposed mechanism is meant to address the growing concerns over deepfake videos and AI-generated misinformation. It will be formed through a “self-regulatory process” and collaboration between the government, intermediaries and fact-checking agencies, according to people in the know.  

“Many intermediaries are facing difficulties identifying and fact-checking information on their platforms. Currently, most of the platforms rely on fact-checkers certified by organisations like the Internet Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). So the meeting was held to discuss how we can create trusted fact-checkers in India, given the dangers of misinformation arising with the use of emerging technologies,” said a person privy to the matter. 

Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 requires online platforms to ensure some due diligence while hosting the content. Section 3 (1) (b) (v) of the rules says that an intermediary shall make reasonable efforts to stop their users from publishing or sharing any information, which is patently false and untrue or misleading in nature.

The government recently proposed an amendment to the rule that asked platforms to remove content identified as fake or false by the fact check unit at the Press Information Bureau (PIB) or other agencies authorised by the central government for fact-checking.

Need for framework

• MeitY officials meet representatives from Google, Meta, Snap, YouTube, and Koo
• Social media platforms express difficulties in removing false content
• These platforms currently rely on international third-party agencies working as fact checkers
• New framework will be created through a “self-regulatory process”, and collaboration between intermediaries, govt and fact-checking agencies

Deepfakes are videos creating delusion with the use of deep learning, other artificial intelligence techniques and photoshopping to make images of fake events. Such convincing deepfakes made so far include that of Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. As per the latest data by Sensify, an identity fraud solutions provider, over 85,000 deepfakes were detected on the internet by December 2020. The new framework will bring clarity for intermediaries in flagging false content, said the person quoted above.

The planned framework will help fact-check all the content on the internet apart from the information related to the business of the government of India, it is learnt. PIB’s unit is likely to remain the authorised agency to fact-check the content in issues that involve government departments.

Google and YouTube last year announced a $13.2 million grant to the IFCN, the non-profit group at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. It was the single largest grant by the tech giant in the fact-checking area. The global body has a network of 135 fact-checking organisations from 65 countries covering over 80 languages.

Meta Platforms – the parent of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – works with more than 80 fact-checking partners that review and rate content in over 60 languages across the world. It has 11 fact-checking partners in India, making it the country with the most third-party fact-checking partners for Meta.  Sources said the government wanted a collaborative model with a public-private partnership for fact-checking social media content.