Won’t notify fact-checking unit until July 10: Centre tells Bombay High Court

The Central government on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that it would not notify the fact-checking unit (FCU) constituted under the new Information Technology (IT) Rules for identifying fake news against the government on social media until July 10.

Editorial | Draconian rules: On the impact of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023

A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale was hearing a petition filed by political satirist Kunal Kamra challenging the constitutional validity of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023. The new Rules require social media intermediaries to censor or otherwise modify content that relates to the Central government, if a government-mandated FCU directs them to do so.