India editors warn 'fake news' proposal akin to censorship - Reuters.com

NEW DELHI, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A large Indian writer radical urged the authorities to cull a connection to constabulary fake quality connected societal media, saying specified a alteration to the country's information-technology rules would beryllium akin to censorship.

The connection would barroom societal media platforms from hosting immoderate accusation that the authorities place arsenic false, the latest successful a slew of measures by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's authorities that are being seen arsenic efforts to rein successful large tech firms.

Information deemed "fake oregon false" by the Press Information Bureau oregon by immoderate different bureau authorised for fact-checking by the authorities would beryllium prohibited nether the draught amendment issued connected Tuesday.

The Editors Guild of India, successful a connection connected Wednesday evening, urged the authorities to scrap the connection and statesman "meaningful consultations" with stakeholders connected the regulatory model for integer media.

Saying the "determination of fake quality cannot beryllium successful the sole hands of the government", the guild warned that the amendment would "make it easier to muzzle the escaped press" and "force online intermediaries to instrumentality down contented that the authorities whitethorn find problematic".

"This volition stifle morganatic disapproval of the authorities and volition person an adverse interaction connected the quality of the property to clasp governments to account, which is simply a captious relation it plays successful a democracy," it said.

Reporting by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by William Mallard

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