India’s battle against fake news, debunking it post by post, pic by pic

The government had to resort to blocking of handles and Youtube channels which were peddling lies and creating dangerous narrative by inciting communal and ethnic passions.

By Smita Mishra 

Two weeks ago, the world witnessed the biggest military conflict between India and Pakistan after the Kargil War. In terms of area penetration, it was the first time that Indian Air Force struck deep inside Pakistan, farther than in 1971. But away from the fight on the land and the skies, a different war was being unleashed on us. Not in the sky, on land or even water. The weapon of this war was the innocuous looking mobile or laptop or tablet that each of us carry.

Information war is not a new concept. It has been around for centuries. Even Chanakya believed it was legit to confuse and mislead your enemy. But the new-age information war, so aggressively visible during Operation Sindoor, surpassed all previous records. Stung by the scale and precision of our action, Pakistan unleashed a vicious campaign on us through fake news, doctored/ photoshopped images and old videos masqueraded as current ones. So frequent was the flow of content that no sooner had we busted one fake news item, a dozen more were ready.

How India fought this misinformation, fake news attack through fact checks, regular public alerts and round-the-clock monitoring is fascinating. It is also a warning of what damage can be inflicted by the enemy without firing a single shot or launching a drone.

To be honest, the information war had started days before Operation Sindoor was launched. Immediately after the horrific Pahalgam terror attack, proxy handles of the Pakistan Inter Services Intelligence ran a campaign claiming the attack was an inside job and a false flag operation. With victims and their family members recounting the horrors of the attack and many videos and eye witness accounts, this false flag theory did not last long though Pakistan did try to vitiate the atmosphere as much as possible.

The real onslaught began on the morning of May 7. By that time, the world had learnt about how, through precision strikes of an amazing caliber, India had destroyed nine terror centres inside Pakistan, including Bahawalpur, the headquarters of the dreaded Jaish-e-Mohammed. ISI’s fake news factory peddled falsehoods ranging from complete denial to claiming downing of Indian Air Force aircrafts. From that morning till this column was written, India has been relentlessly exposing the false claims, fake news and doctored/ misleading videos generated by ISI proxies but posted from devices across the globe.

At first flush, PIB Fact Check, a media unit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, took note of the many fake news posts floating across platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. With the help of archives, records and other tools, fact checks were posted and shared across platforms. But the campaign was getting more and more aggressive by the hour. Sources involved in busting the fake news/ misinformation campaign said the peak of the information war, expectedly, was the first four days of Operation Sindoor.

The challenges were significant. There were old videos being posted very frequently which appeared fresh. One had to dig into the records to expose the lies. Then there were dozens of ISI proxy handles masquerading as Indians with Indian sounding names and profiles. Along with busting fake news, the government had to resort to blocking of handles and Youtube channels which were not only peddling lies but creating a dangerous narrative by inciting communal and ethnic passions. One such fake news item claimed the Indian Army had killed half a dozen Sikh soldiers on a minor issue. One doesn’t need to explain the kind of damage such blatantly fake stories can cause to our social fabric.

Since information war was not confined to X and Facebook - Youtube was also monitored 24/7 and several channels were issued warnings reminding them to be responsible in their conduct. Some of them had to be taken down for lack of co-operation.

About 8000 social handles were blocked temporarily invoking emergency clause to prevent further damage. As per a rough estimate, the PIB Fact Check alone examined more than 4000 posts during the peak period. These included posts that came into notice through the monitoring mechanism of the ministry as well as random posts flagged by alert citizens. By the time, India and Pakistan came to a mutually agreed cessation of action, 100-odd fact checks had already been issued. So heavy was the onslaught that the fact check team had to concentrate on posts which were reportedly going viral or those with a substantial following.

Accounts which repeatedly posted fake news, such as five in a row, were recommended for blocking. It wasn’t just about individuals. Media organisations and their handles also posted content which were blatantly false and provocative. Al Jazeera, TRT World and hundreds of accounts originating from Bangladesh were part of this.

For the benefit of common citizens as well as newspersons, a microsite within the aegis of the PIB website was created where all relevant information and fact checks pertaining to Operation Sindoor were constantly loaded. The site is still alive and had become a valuable repository of information on Operation Sindoor.

While fact checks, fake/ misleading videos and such other stuff were in the public domain, what many don’t know is that several wings of the government including the armed forces worked in perfect co-operation and synergy to ensure minimum damage from this vicious information war. Timely response was the need of the hour and the personnel worked round the clock for days.

Our armed forces have announced that though there is a pause, Operation Sindoor has not been called off. Likewise, though the frequency and aggression may have lessened, the information war is also not over. Our adversaries are still posting fake news, old videos dressed up as new and provoking Indians by exploiting communal, social and regional faultlines. As the government and the forces stay alert on this innocuous looking but dangerous front, discernment on the part of citizens before trusting and sharing any post will go a long way in defeating the evil designs of a treacherous enemy.

(Smita Mishra is Advisor, Prasar Bharati).

Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.