The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is giving itself authority to constitute a fact checking unit with sweeping powers to determine what news is fake or false with respect to the business of the central government, and content take down orders to intermediaries, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) said in a statement on Friday.
The EGI said that it is “deeply disturbed” by the move and has sought its withdrawal.
The EGI is an association of news editors in the country.
“The Ministry’s notification of such draconian rules is therefore regrettable. The Guild again urges the Ministry to withdraw this notification and conduct consultations with media organisations and press bodies,” the statement said.
The EGI is deeply disturbed by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 (IT Amendment Rules, 2023),…
