Draft IT Amendment Rules: Who Decides What Is True?

Access to information and the democratisation of the media is a double-edged sword. While people can now access a repository of millions of informational sources at their fingertips within seconds, conversely it makes it all the harder to wade through the muck. The issue of fake news and misinformation campaigns is not news, rather it has become synonymous with content on the internet, which is now invariably viewed with a pinch of salt. The popularity of troll farms, click farms, deepfakes and face morphing technology have changed the media landscape entirely. As seen during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, WhatsApp forwards with updates and doctors' 'opinions' espousing the newest cures and home remedies made it clear that social media has become inundated with propaganda, misinformation, and falsities.