Karnataka government’s fact-check unit to combat fake news now operational

The state government allocated Rs 3.19 crore for the fact-checking unit, which commenced operations in March

The Karnataka government's fact-checking unit, set up to combat fake news and misinformation, especially on social media, began operations last month.

Sources told Moneycontrol that the state government allocated Rs 3.19 crore for the fact-checking unit, which commenced operations in March, just before the Lok Sabha election model code of conduct kicked in.

The state government has selected four firms - Gauri Media, Logically Infomedia Private Limited, Trylika Technology Limited, and Newsplus Communications, for the fact-checking unit, known as Information Disorder Tackling Unit (IDTU). IDTU will comprise three teams: a fact-checking team, an analytics team, and a capacity-building team.

"They commenced operations last month. Each firm will fact-check up to 100 cases of fake news and misinformation per month, especially those circulating on social media. We will pay them Rs 5,000 per fact-check," a senior government official told Moneycontrol.

Gauri Media, a trust formed in honour of the murdered journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, along with Newsplus Communications will primarily focus on fact-checking within the Kannada language medium, while the others will handle fact-checking in English, analytics and capacity building.  Trylika Technologies, for instance, runs a web search engine called 13tabs.com, aimed at preventing the spread of misinformation since 2019

In October 2023, the state Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT-BT) department invited expression of interest (EOI) and received bids from seven entities.

Also, read: Karnataka govt invites EoI to set up 'Information Disorder Tackling Unit' to combat fake news 

The official said that they have also tasked Logically Infomedia Private Limited with developing a web portal. "Currently, they fact-check and submit the findings to us. After the Lok Sabha polls, we will conduct a meeting with the Home Department regarding the portal's specifics. The public will be able to submit suspicious content for fact-checking via email, website, and other mediums. Verified information will be published on the portal to prevent the further spread of misinformation," the official said.

The elections for the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka are being held in two phases, with South Karnataka including Bengaluru voting on April 26 and North Karnataka on May 7.

Meanwhile, Karnataka State Police, which partnered with check4spam.com, has a fact-check portal (factcheck.ksp.gov.in). However, the latest fact-check was done on November 24, 2023.

Also, read:  Karnataka government announces framework for fact-checking unit to tackle misinformation

The Congress-led Karnataka government’s fact-check unit became operational at a time when the Supreme Court, on March 21, stayed the Union government's notification, which established the Press Information Bureau's Fact Checking Unit (PIB FCU).

Also, read: What is PIB's fact-check unit & why SC has put it on hold

The Editors Guild of India had issued a statement expressing concerns about the Karnataka government's fact-checking unit, stating that any such efforts should not be draconian but fair, independent, and democratic. In response, Karnataka's IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge attempted to allay fears in a tweet, assuring that the initiative would be independent and would not infringe upon freedom of expression.

Also, read: Fake news, IT Rule causes uproar in civil society; Editor's Guild seeks expunction of draft amendment

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah also defended the move, stating, "Fake news poses a threat to democracy and contributes to social polarisation. We must take stringent measures to combat this menace."  He further said that the IT-BT department would assist the Home Department initially in establishing the fact-checking unit, following which the state police would oversee its implementation.

Kharge had earlier said the unit includes an oversight committee, a review Single Point of Contact (SPOC), and nodal officers. The oversight committee will comprise key figures from various domains, such as the head of the Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, the Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence/CID), a representative from the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), MD of Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), dean of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Sciences (EECS) at the Indian Institute of Science, an additional advocate general, the head of Karnataka's cybersecurity centre of excellence and representatives from civil society. The review SPOC will be headed by an SP from the intelligence department or a designated representative from the Home Department.

Election Commission monitors fake news and misinformation

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India is also monitoring fake news and misinformation. AV Suryasen, special officer (IT and Media), office of the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), told Moneycontrol, "We have a dedicated team of 70 members to check misinformation, deep fakes, and voice morphing. We have filed 36 FIRs against politicians and others for hate speech and spreading misinformation. So far, no deep fake cases have been reported in Karnataka, but we are using AI to monitor social media in real-time."