With PIB Fact Check Unit stalled in court, Parl panel pushes new anti-fake news task force

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has renewed its call for a dedicated institutional mechanism to tackle cross-platform and cross-border fake news, pressing the government to move beyond existing arrangements even as the Centre's own Fact Check Unit (FCU) continues to face legal uncertainty.

In its latest Action Taken Report tabled in Parliament on August 6, the committee has reiterated the need for an independent centralized monitoring body—effectively a specialised task force—with representation from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), media organisations and other stakeholders to adjudicate fake news cases spanning multiple platforms and recommend penalties.

The recommendation assumes significance because the Centre's proposal to notify the Press Information Bureau's Fact Check Unit under the amended Information Technology Rules remains caught in litigation, leaving the government's flagship fact-checking mechanism without the legal backing envisaged under the controversial 2023 amendments.

Rather than treating the PIB Fact Check Unit as the sole answer, the committee has argued that India's institutional architecture for combating misinformation needs to be broadened to address fake news that travels across print, television, digital publishers, social media platforms and emerging AI-generated content.

Committee reiterates demand

The panel observed that regulation of digital media is divided between MIB and MeitY, making coordination critical. It reiterated that fake news cannot be tackled through isolated regulatory mechanisms and urged the government to establish an independent monitoring body comprising representatives from ministries, media organisations and stakeholders to adjudicate cross-platform fake news cases and recommend penalties.

It also reiterated its recommendation for a committee of experts to suggest amendments to laws including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

While responding, the government highlighted existing institutional mechanisms, including the PIB Fact Check Unit, the Press Council of India (PCI), and intermediary obligations under the IT Rules, 2021. However, the committee said the ministry's response did not adequately address its proposal for an independent centralized body.

Instead, the committee has now sought details of the inputs received from the public and stakeholders, along with penalties recommended against fake news cases, signalling that it expects concrete progress on creating a broader institutional framework.

PIB FCU's role acknowledged, but questions remain

The ministry informed the committee that the PIB Fact Check Unit, established in November 2019, verifies misinformation relating to the Government of India, its ministries, departments and public sector undertakings.

According to the government, citizens can submit suspected misinformation through a WhatsApp hotline, email and an online portal. The ministry said actionable queries are verified using official sources, open data and technological tools before being classified as "Fake", "Misleading" or "True".

It added that the unit has played a significant role during the Covid-19 pandemic, G20 Summit, national elections and Operation Sindoor, besides expanding its work to digital fraud, fake government websites and insurance scams.

Yet the committee has demanded substantially greater transparency.

It has asked the ministry to furnish year-wise data on complaints received and resolved through the PIB Fact Check Unit since November 2019, including the number of suspicious reports received, disposal rates and the overall success rate of the mechanism.

The panel has also sought year-wise details of complaints received through CPGRAMS, updates on amendments proposed to the Press Council Act, 1978, and the latest status of MeitY's draft amendments to the IT Rules released in October 2025.

Committee wants stronger legal architecture

The report underscores that fake news continues to fall within multiple regulatory silos.

For print media, newspapers are governed by the Press Council of India's Norms of Journalistic Conduct. Television channels are regulated through the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Act. Digital news publishers fall under the IT Rules, 2021.

However, the committee noted that important provisions of Rule 9 of the IT Rules dealing with the Code of Ethics and the three-tier grievance redressal mechanism for digital publishers were stayed by the Bombay High Court, leaving an important part of the regulatory framework in abeyance.

Against this backdrop, the committee has reiterated that fake news should be formally defined within India's regulatory framework and incorporated across print, electronic and digital media with appropriate deterrent provisions.

It has also renewed its recommendation for expert-led amendments to multiple statutes governing media regulation.

AI-generated misinformation emerges as new priority

The committee has separately flagged artificial intelligence as an emerging threat, cautioning that while AI can assist in identifying misinformation, it should remain subject to human oversight.

It urged close coordination between MIB, MeitY and other ministries to develop legal and technological mechanisms for identifying and prosecuting those responsible for AI-generated fake news. It also recommended exploring licensing requirements for AI content creators and mandatory labelling of AI-generated content.

The government informed the committee that draft amendments to the IT Rules propose defining synthetically generated information, introducing mandatory labelling and metadata requirements, specifying visibility standards for synthetic content, and strengthening verification obligations for significant social media intermediaries.

Broader institutional overhaul

Beyond enforcement, the committee has also pushed for structural reforms across the media ecosystem.

Among its recommendations are mandatory fact-checking mechanisms and internal ombudsmen across print, digital and electronic media organisations, wider participation of broadcasters in self-regulatory bodies, media literacy programmes in schools and colleges, greater collaboration with the Ministry of Education, and stronger accountability obligations for major social media intermediaries.

Taken together, the recommendations suggest the committee is looking beyond the government's existing fact-checking apparatus towards a permanent, multi-agency institutional framework capable of addressing increasingly sophisticated misinformation campaigns, including those originating across borders and amplified through AI and social media platforms.