Following up on its latest amendments to the IT Rules, the government of India is setting up its own fact-checking unit, which might be announced within 10 days, reports the Indian Express. The unit, according to the report which quotes unnamed senior government officials, is likely to have a member from the IT Ministry, someone from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, a “media expert,” and a “legal expert”. It seems that there’s a plan to allow for an appeals process, and there will be a public database of content the committee decides to censor on social media. This, the report states, should address concerns related to expertise, transparency, and accountability. STAY ON TOP OF TECH POLICY: Our daily newsletter with top stories from MediaNama and around the world, delivered to your inbox before 9 AM. Click here to sign up today! A few points: This is because of Kunal Kamra’s court case: The fact is that this is essentially back-pedaling from the Government of India, following the criticism it has received from multiple quarters, including from opposition parties, the Editors Guild of India, alongside an expected push-back from the media. What has essentially changed here is that comedian Kunal Kamra has gone to court to challenge these rules, which are both draconian and illegal. It is in order to assuage concerns raised in the petition (and probably prevent more petitions from being filed in other courts across the country), there’s the move to give a veneer of expertise,…
