Fake news crackdown: Government departments set up Quick Response Teams

Government departments are constituting Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to ensure a timely response to misleading or fake content circulating on social media, an official said.

The move is aimed at strengthening the government's engagement with people on social media and ensuring that responses to rumours, misinformation, fake content and misleading posts are issued without delay.

Teams to verify and respond to misleading posts

The objective is to promptly scrutinise, coordinate and respond to such content while monitoring matters related to the work and functions of government departments on social media.

The QRTs will specifically handle fake or misleading content concerning their respective departments. Departments such as power, agriculture and commerce have already constituted their teams.

"Ideally, the response from the ministries should go in two hours of noting such content," the official said.

Social media teams to monitor content

The social media and digital media teams of respective ministries will monitor relevant social media platforms, with appropriate inputs from the new media wing of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The teams will regularly track content relating to government policies, schemes, programmes, decisions and announcements.

Any post or material that appears to be fake, misleading, factually incorrect, manipulated, distorted, taken out of context or likely to cause public confusion will be brought to the QRTs' attention, the official said.

PIB fact check unit to assist QRTs

Once such content is flagged, the QRTs will verify the information and submit the factual position. They will also coordinate with the PIB fact check unit while dealing with such cases.

The system is intended to ensure that departments can respond quickly when misleading information gains traction online.

High-impact cases to be escalated

Cases involving high virality, significant public interest, sensitive policy matters, potential public harm, legal implications, coordinated misinformation campaigns or inter-ministerial issues will be escalated to the appropriate senior authority, another official said.