Fake news on social media

In Context

• Recently, Election Management Bodies (EMBs) expressed their expectation from social media sites to proactively flag fake news.

More about the news

• International conference for EMBs:
  • The Chief Election Commissioner was addressing an international conference for EMBs hosted by the Election Commission of India (ECI). 
    • The conference was held under the aegis of the United States’ ‘Summit for Democracy’ platform.
• Chief Election Commissioner on managing fake news:
  • He stated that Election management bodies (EMBs) expected social media sites to use their “algorithm power” to proactively flag fake news. 
    • He said social media platforms proclaim to have content policies but added that they do also have such “algorithm power”.
    • According to him, a proactive approach by these platforms to counter fake news would facilitate “credible electoral outcomes”.

More about the Fake News

• Fake news, broadly termed as false news or misinformation disguised as credible news, which is very persuasive and has serious consequences for democracy.

Effects

• Influencing opinions: It can be used to influence public opinions, to gain popularity or to malign the image, character of certain individuals or opponents or to defame them.
• Issue of fake news during elections: During the 2016 US Presidential elections,  a bipartisan Senate committee found that before and after the 2016 election, the Russian government used social media advertising to spread misinformation and conspiracy theories.

• On similar lines, there has been talk of Facebook interfering with India’s electoral democracy. 

• Disturbing harmony:
  • It affects social & communal harmony by spreading extremists’ ideologies especially in sensitive areas like radicalization of youths, inciting violence and hatred among the communities, swinging public opinions etc.

Challenges

• No standard definition: 
• Lack of regulation: 

Legal remedies to tackle fake news

• Indian Broadcast Foundation (IBF): 
• The Press Council of India: 
• IPC Sections 153A and 295: .
• Broadcasting Content Complaint Council (BCCC): 
• Defamation Suit: 
• The Information Technology (IT) Act: 
• Contempt of Court laws: 
• Constitution:

Way ahead

• Policy-makers: Although the policy-makers’ steps and regulations are in the right direction, the existing loopholes need to be filled.
• All the stakeholders- lawmakers, online intermediaries, and citizens have a collective responsibility to curb fake news. 
  • Lawmakers:  While lawmakers can keep amending the laws, the citizens’ duty lies to gain awareness about media literacy. 
  • Online intermediaries: On the other hand, tech platforms need to ensure the use of a sophisticated algorithm to present the public with correct, accurate, and truthful information.

Citizens:  The responsibility lies equally among the general public to educate with the necessary information to critically analyze information and then make deductive conclusions.