Parliament Question: Misinformation on Social Media

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6139 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026 MISINFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA 6139. SHRI V K SREEKANDAN: Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the Press Information Bureau has flagged over 50 cases of deepfakes, manipulated videos and various other types of misinformation on social media platforms; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether it is also a fact that many of these were posted by neighboring country; and (d) the details of the steps taken by the Government to prevent spreading misinformation by other nations? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN) (a) to (d): A Fact Check Unit (FCU) functions under Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. FCU identifies fake news, misinformation relating to the Central Government. After verifying the authenticity of news from authorized sources, FCU publishes correct information on its social media platforms. Additionally, it encourages citizens to report suspicious content for verification, thereby strengthening public participation in combating misinformation.FCU has identified various fake claims related to the Government of India including deepfakes, AI-generated and misleading videos, notifications, letters and websites. A total of 2913 fact- checks have been published so far. All fact-checks are available across PIB Fact Check official social media platforms, including X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Threads and WhatsApp Channel. During Operation Sindoor, the PIB Fact Check Unit actively identified misinformation and hostile narratives circulating online. It promptly acted on fact-checking false claims, providing authentic information, and ensuring accurate public communication, thereby helping prevent the spread of misleading and anti-India narratives. Ministry also issued directions for blocking of over 1,400 such URLs on digital media during Operation Sindoor. For the publishers of news and current affairs on digital media and publishers of online curated content, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021) provides for a Code of Ethics along with a three-level institutional mechanism for redressal of grievance relating to violation of Code of Ethics by such publishers. **** 2