SRO to vet fact-checkers for non-government-related news gets Centre’s nod

Synopsis Over the next few days, the Misinformation Combat Alliance is likely to provide details, such as the timeline for setting up the SRO and the structure of its governing council, to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the people said. ETtech In the coming days, the MCA is likely to deliberate on the charter of principles for fact-checkers, the methodology to assess fact-checkers, the structure and constitution of the SRO (Illustration: Rahul Awasthi) The Centre has given the go-ahead to the Misinformation Combat Alliance ’s (MCA) proposal to set up a self-regulatory organisation ( SRO ) to vet fact-checkers for non-government-related news , people in the know of the development told ET. Over the next few days, the MCA is likely to provide details, such as the timeline for setting up the SRO and the structure of its governing council, to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the people said.

It will also write to the ministry, seeking up to 120 days to form the SRO and reiterating the in-principle support it has from Internet and social media intermediaries including the Big Tech companies, one of the people said. “We will inform the ministry of the time needed to set up the SRO, the number of members who will be a part of the governing council and other details such as what will be the requirements for vetting of fact-checkers,” the person told ET. In the coming days, the MCA is likely to deliberate on the charter of principles for fact-checkers, the methodology to assess fact-checkers, the structure and constitution of the SRO, a grievance redressal mechanism and other such aspects, another person said.

Deliberations with MCA members and other Internet and social media intermediaries will begin soon, this person added. The MCA is an alliance of media companies set up in March 2022 to combat misinformation and build tools to aid fact-checking. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Earlier this month, MCA president Bharat Gupta met minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar and submitted a letter of intent on the SRO to the IT ministry.

The letter proposed the formation of an industry-supported Indian SRO that would serve as one of the nodal bodies for local fact-checkers. The need for an India SRO for domestic fact-checkers arose after the IT ministry turned down the industry’s request to continue using fact-checkers with international certifications such as those of the International Fact-Checking Network. ET on April 8 reported that the industry-run SRO would lay down the principles and contours of how domestic fact-checkers would be accredited .

The SRO could also have the power to approve or deny requests from media houses and intermediaries to be labelled “fact checkers”. The approved fact checkers would then be able to verify the information published for or against private entities, a senior IT ministry official had then told ET. “Like the government-regulated body for checking misinformation, these agencies can also undertake fact-checking.

And the process followed is similar. If an intermediary believes that the content on their platform is genuine, they can refuse to take it down. But then, the protection under (section) 79 (of the IT Act) goes away.

And the aggrieved party can take the intermediary to court,” the official had said. Don’t miss out on ET Prime stories! Get your daily dose of business updates on WhatsApp. click here! Thursday, 20 Apr, 2023 Experience Your Economic Times Newspaper, The Digital Way! Read Complete Print Edition » Front Page Pure Politics Companies Economy More Economy Likely to Grow at 6% in FY24: Economists India’s economy is likely to post a resilient 6% growth in FY24, an ET poll of 20 economists showed, easing slightly from 7% in FY23 because of softer global growth and higher interest rates.

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