Refrain from Publishing Fake, Communally Provocative Information About Ram Temple Opening: MIB Advisory to Print, TV, and Digital Publishers

Stay informed responsibly! MIB advisory urges media to adhere to regulations, avoid spreading false or provocative content on Ram Temple inauguration

on Jan 23, 2024

Refrain from Publishing Fake, Communally Provocative Information About Ram Temple Opening: MIB Advisory to Print, TV, and Digital Publishers

On Saturday, the MIB advised newspapers, private satellite TV networks, and digital media producers of news and current affairs to follow "applicable" media regulations.

Two days before the inauguration of the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, the Indian government's Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Saturday issued an advisory to newspapers, private satellite TV channels, and digital media publishers of news and current affairs to comply with "applicable" media regulations and refrain from publishing "any content [on the temple's opening] that may be false, manipulated, or has the potential to disturb communal harmony or public order in the country”. The advisory was signed by Kshitij Aggarwal, the Ministry's Deputy Director of Digital Media.

"As part of their due diligence obligations, the social media platforms have been advised to make reasonable efforts to not host, display or publish information of the nature mentioned above," according to the ruling. A reminder: social media businesses are also required by India's platform regulation legislation, the IT Rules, 2021, to prevent their users from uploading certain types of content, such as fraudulent or misleading information.

Separately, the Uttar Pradesh government is reportedly in contact with Meta and X's (or Twitter's) policy teams regarding deep fakes purportedly spreading misinformation about the inauguration.

According to sources speaking to the Economic Times over the weekend, "hundreds" of such posts were identified on online platforms. AI-enabled sentiment analysis of social media activity revealed that nearly 30-40% of posts related to the event are spreading hate speech through foreign actors. Steps are being done to prevent "extremist false content" from sparking communal clashes across the state.