New Delhi, March 16: The Election Commission of India has warned against the spread of fake news, particularly through social media and other news outlets in the run up to the 18th general elections announced today.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar while announcing the start of the seven phase general elections 2024 to the Lok Sabha today in New Delhi pointed out that fake news or misinformation has been a concern for the Election Commission and this has been more so since the arrival of social media.
He said that freedom to criticise is allowed during elections but it cannot be allowed to create fake news that is not based on facts because it can disturb public order.
“Misinformation troubles the Election Commission of India a lot during elections. Soon we are going to launch on our website something called Myth versus Reality to counter fake news,” said Rajiv Kumar. Myth versus Reality can be checked on the ECI website eci.gov.in
It has also been warned that originators of fake news will be dealt with severely as per extant laws and authorized officials will be empowered to take them down.
To curtail fake narratives, the Election Commission of India has put in place a Standard Operating Procedure or SOP for quick response against fake news, informed the CEC.
